Naruto Emerald Version
by fanfictionconnoisseur
Summary: Brendan just moved to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His mission is to help the genin of the Hidden Leaf to incorporate pokemon in their fighting styles. He, May, Wally, and their sensei, Steven Stone, will go on missions to chart which pokemon are turning up with the Great Nations, and enter battle with the sinister Team Aqua and Team Magma.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

Everybody knows about ninjas. They rule the world. Five Great Nations, with five kage, and a delicate balance of power… blah, blah, blah. Point is: ninjas are everywhere, but very few people, at least when this story starts, knew about pokemon trainers. Pokemon hadn't been a problem for the Five Great Nations in a _very_ long time, and so the need for pokemon trainers had been minimal.

But Pokemon were making a comeback, and so the Five Great Nations looked to other continents, continents that had always been dealing with pokemon, for help. That would be where I come in. My name is Brendan, and yes, my father is Norman, the famous Jonin Pokemon Trainer. He's an ass, but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

This story starts with me, in the back of a wagon, a moving wagon to be specific. It wasn't that big of a wagon, but all of my mother's furniture and plush poke-dolls were stacked around me to the degree that even though the wagon did not have walls, I could not see sunlight. "This does not seem safe!" I called out for the billionth time.

"I was given every assurance for your safety!" my mother called back for the billionth time.

At some point between the harbor, and wherever I was, I'd fallen asleep, so I had no idea how long I'd actually been in there, but it had to have been at least a few hours. And given that I had no maps or knowledge about the Land of Fire, there was no telling how much longer I'd be waiting for what seemed like my inevitable death by plushy suffocation. A wailmer plushy stared at me with beady eyes, mere inches away from me, and I decided that it would make the perfect pillow, so I tugged at it, and the entire poke-doll superstructure wobbled dangerously.

My mother's voice drifted through to me, with only a slight tinge of annoyance, "Oh, will you quit it? I can see the gates to the village now. Ten more minutes, tops."

When my mother got quiet, I heard the village. Sounds of shop keepers bellowing about kunai sales, people laughing, and if I strained myself, I could hear sandals meeting roof tiles. There was no mistaking that: this was a ninja village, but I couldn't see anything, it was maddening. Eventually the cart stopped, and I started to shake with excitement.

Two Vigoroths leapt from the front of the cart, and began to pull furniture away. My excitement was leading to spasms, and my elbow caught the Wailmer doll, knocking it out of place. Everything began to wobble, but for a brief moment, I saw starry sky between two pieces of the living room sofa. Instinct kicked in, my chakra flowed to my feet, and I pushed off the cart, through the hole, and into fresh air. I couldn't help myself, "Woohoo!"

I landed just in front of what I assumed to be my house, funneled chakra into my hands and feet, and leapt up to the side of the building. I stuck, and moved up the side until I was on the roof. All the other houses nearby were about the same height, so I got a good view of my block, but the next street over were apartment complexes that blocked the rest of the city from my view.

The first thing I noticed about what I could see is that no two blocks shared the same color roofing panels, they were all vibrant colors, but weirder than the bright colors in the "hidden village" was that every building appeared to have plumbing, water, and electricity, but the pipes, wires, and drains were built on the outside of the homes.

I leapt across the street, run up the side of the other buildings, and when I reached the top I saw the entire village was built in the same manger. For as far as my eyes could see was this sea of haphazard buildings and color that if I hadn't known better might have been a slum instead of the world capital of military might. But the pure size of it was stunning all on its own. The Village Hidden in the Leaves was no village, it was a thriving, though hodgepodge, metropolis. I turned around to go back down, and saw four faces carved into the mountainside.

I'd like to think that it was because of that sight that I was so easy to sneak up on, but there was probably a real gap in skill level between me and five ninja who flickered into existence all around me. "Who is this?" one of them demanded of another.

"Maybe he's working with Naruto," another spat, "Let's take him in, and hand him over to Ibiki."

A sixth body flickered into my view, mere inches in front of me, but I didn't need to see his face to recognize the man who wore that crimson vest with extra scroll pockets. My father, Norman, shouted, "This is my son, he just got here tonight, he couldn't have met Naruto or know about the Sacred Scroll," he held out his arms in a protective gesture, "Let's get a move on, we haven't checked the forest."

The five unknown ninja flickered out of sight, and my father craned his neck over his shoulder so he could speak to me, but didn't look at me. "Get back to the house, I'll catch up with you two later."

Before I could respond, he'd flickered away, and I groaned. I hadn't seen the jerk in two years, and he hadn't even bothered with pleasantries. Bastard. With two leaps, one to my roof, and the other to the ground, I was back with my mom, and the cart was empty. She smiled, "What did you think?"

I walked past her into the house, and spat, "Dad says "hi.""

Mom rolled her kind eyes, followed me in, and gently pushed me through the hallway, up a set of stairs, and stopped me just in front of the door at the top. "This is your room. Go set your clock, and get into something nice, we're having dinner with the neighbors."

I entered the room, and closed the door behind me. It looked just like my old room back in Goldenrod, twin bed, pokeball sheets, a small wooden desk chock full of ninja tools, a new clock was hung just above a full body mirror, a shelf for my books on pokemon, and my closet was filled with several sets of the same uniform. I discarded my black shirt and shorts, and pulled on a white v-neck.

In my closet were several pairs of black pants, baggy with lots of pockets, and since that was all I had, I pulled them on. I went over to the mirror, and looked over myself. My hair was short, black, and straight, my eyes were blue, and I was average height for a thirteen year old. The clock-face seemed to stare at me, so I pulled it off the wall, set it, and replaced it before going back downstairs.

Mom smiled, "Okay, let's go," she said with a hum, "I can't wait for dinner."

We stepped out, walked twenty feet down the street, and knocked on the next house's door. It opened almost immediately. A little kid with green hair opened the door, and looked us over. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Max!" a woman from inside the house reprimanded, "Is that any way to greet our guests? Guide them in and tend the pasta!"

Inside was a kitchen in upheaval, but not the bad kind, if that makes sense. There was food _everywhere_ , and it all looked delicious. In the middle of the kitchen was a woman who looked frayed in every way my mother was always tightly wound. My mother's hair was always in a tight bun, but this woman's hair seemed to have a mind of its own, flowing about her in the steam, and where my mom's eyes were kind, this woman's were stark, raving mad with stress. "This is a bad idea," I whispered.

The woman turned her head, glared at me, and shouted, "Go upstairs! Meet May!"

I wanted to move, but her eyes contained a fathomless darkness that rooted me in place. I was nudged forward by something, and bolted up the stairs. Like my house, this one only had one room upstairs, and inside it was a girl.

May was a bit shorter than me, with brown hair that stuck down and out from her forehead to her shoulders, and her blue eyes were wide with confusion. She wore black biker shorts, with a red, collared shirt, and a pokeball bandana to hold back whatever hair wasn't sticking out its front. "Who… who are you?" she asked, "And why is there a boy in my room?"

I stood up straight, coughed, and said, "I'm Brendan, and there's a scary lady in the kitchen."

Realization dawned on her face, "Oh!" she cried, "You guys finally got here! That's great! Wally is gonna be so psyched! I'm May!"

She grabbed my hand, and vigorously shook it. "I gathered that." I said, resisting the urge to run away.

"So, um, I have this dream, of going out into the world, and meeting a bunch of pokemon, and making a ton of friends, and…" she paused either to take a breath or put emphasis on the next part, "I was hoping you'd be one of my first friends."

I blinked. "Sure. Is everyone this hyper in this village?"

May cackled, and scratched the back of her head, "Ohmygosh! I must have sounded so sappy right there! I'm just kind of excitable, I guess. Sorry for scaring you."

A moment passed, then she looked up at me, her jaw dropped, and she made a noise like I'd slapped her. "I'm supposed to be reminding my Dad, or Professor Birch, about dinner! I gotta go!"

She tore off like a hurricane, leaving me bewildered and alone in her room. Nobody was there, but I whispered, "This place is weird."

I went back downstairs, and my found my mother had been pulled into kitchen effort. Her eyes pleaded for aid, but May's Mom hadn't noticed me. "I'm gonna go help May find the Professor!" I exclaimed, and ran out the front door.

As I closed the door, I nearly ran into a thin, little man in a navy blue labcoat. "Are you Professor Birch?" I asked.

He shook his head, "His assistant. He sent me to tell May to pick him up at Training Field 3."

"You just missed her, but I'll go look for him," I supplied, grinning perhaps just a little too wide.

He narrowed his eyes, and pointed down the street, "Go that way, over the buildings until you come onto a clearing with three logs sticking out of the grass."

I waved, and ran off. The people in the Leaf Village were an eclectic mix of ninja in uniform, and pedestrians going about their business. Sometimes the two groups would mix in pairs, but mostly the ninja stuck to the rooftops and the pedestrians to the street. A few of the ninja gave me funny looks as I hopped from roof to roof, but none of them bothered me. Eventually the buildings stopped, and lush forest began.

Half a mile into the forest, was a clearing, with a stream running through it and three logs sticking out of the dirt. A rotund man in a white labcoat was perched on top of one of those logs, and a raccon-looking thing was nipping at his feet from the ground. I perched on a nearby tree branch, and called, "Professor Birch?"

He turned to look at me. "You need to help me! This Zigzagoon separated me from my pokemon!" he pointed to a brown satchel on the opposite side of the stream, "Grab a pokemon from inside my bag!"

I ran around the circumference of the clearing, leapt over the river, and rolled to a stop just short of the satchel. The Zigzagoon turned to look at me just as I reached into the bag. I didn't find any pokeballs inside, but instead there were three scrolls. I pulled one out with a fire print on it, and unfurled it. The writing side opened away from me, and white smoke erupted from it.

The smoke blew away to reveal a tiny red and orange chick pokemon. "Torchic!" Birch exclaimed, "Good choice!"

I pointed at the Zigzagoon, and shouted, "Sic 'em!"

Torchic ran up, jumped, and scratched Zigzagoon with its right talon. Zigzagoon flinched and rolled away, "Press!" I hollered, and Torchic kept it up.

Zigzagoon rolled again, and then ran off into the forest. Torchic ran back over to me, and chirped excitedly. We locked eyes, and my heart tugged at my insides. I opened my arms and Torchic leapt up. It was weird, and awesome, and… yeah.

Birch made his way over to us, and pulled some glasses out from his labcoat. He peered at us, and said, "I've never seen someone bond with a pokemon that fast. Why don't you keep Torchic?"

"Really?!" I boomed, and then fought down the urge to squeal like a child, "I mean, thank you."

Birch flipped the scroll over, and pointed at the writing. "In the Great Nations, they don't use pokeballs, they use pokescrolls. They're super helpful."

He pointed to the seal on the paper. "You can read a lot about your pokemon here. Your Torchic is a male, with an Adamant nature, and likes sour food," and then he pointed to a blank part of the scroll, "and here's where you can put a nickname, if you so desire."

The scroll rod in the center had a pen, so I pulled it out, and wrote: _Katon_. "Fire style," Birch mused, "nice."

Katon chirped, and leapt onto the scroll, sealing himself away. The scroll rolled itself up, and I held it perhaps a bit too tight. "This is too cool."

Birch put an arm around my shoulder, and said, "Man… for you to pull of battling like that… you must be Brendan, Norman's son, right?"

A vein pulsed in my forehead. "Yeah. Really not psyched about it, but that's the way it is."

We started walking back to his house through the forest when we heard, "You're lying!" shouted from somewhere off to the right.

"We should get out of here," Birch said, "Something was going on today…"

The thought of my dad keeping me out of the fun got my forehead vein going. "Or we could go take a peek!"

I ran towards the noise, and Professor Birch wasn't far behind, whining about safety or something. The faster I moved, the louder the shouting got. Eventually I ended up on a tree branch, watching three people in the middle of a fight.

First there was some yellow haired kid in orange, and he was holding this giant sealing scroll, then there was this grievously wounded leaf ninja with a pony tail and a scar across his face, who was crying, and ultimately there was this guy with blue, shaggy hair, who was spinning this comically large shuriken. Blue hair shouted, "Iruka, you really believe that drivel? I was gonna spare ya, but I've changed my mind."

The giant shuriken began to spin, and blue hair dashed at scar-face. "You're finished!"

But before blue hair could strike scar-face down, the kid in orange dashed out from behind a tree and straight up head-butted blue hair off course, knocking the shuriken out of his hand. With all the spinning, the shuriken shot off into the trees, and cleaved the branch I was standing on from the tree.

I toppled forward, and Professor Birch caught me. "This is why I said we should be careful!" he shouted.

The kid in orange was way more interesting however. He pointed at Blue Hair and shouted, "If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I"LL KILL YOU! BELIEVE IT!"

Blue hair swept a hand through the air in a swift chop. "I could destroy you in a single move!"

"Take your best shot," orange kid was like ice, it was giving me goose bumps, this was the strength of the Hidden Leaf, "and I'll give it back a thousand fold."

"Show me what you got!" Blue hair howled, with his hands at his side and his eyes closed in fervor.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the kid shouted, and the clearing filled up with at least a hundred clones.

"That many clones… that's a lot of chakra," I whispered.

Birch's jaw dropped, "You got no idea. Those are shadow clones… fully realized clones, not just after images."

"Oh wow…" I trailed off, and the kid in orange proceeded to beat the living snot out of blue hair.

Birch guided me away. "Let's go have dinner, okay?"

So we left blue hair at the mercy of the kid in orange. I wondered what his name was.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

I'd fallen asleep a bit nervous that I'd roll in my sleep onto Katon, but when I woke up, he was standing on my chest, staring out my window into the sunlight. I fidgeted a bit, and he hopped to my shoulder, and then onto my bed. Excited chirping cut through my morning grog, and I sat up. Today was my first _real_ day as a ninja, and as a pokemon trainer.

I stood up, and offered my hand out to Katon, who jumped on. When I held my hand up to my shoulder, Katon transferred, and I was off to the races. The only bathroom was downstairs, so I thundered down, turned on a hairpin, dashed through the dining/living room, and into the bathroom just before my father. "Hey!" he cried as I shut the door behind me.

Katon wasn't a fan of the faucet, but I needed water to brush my teeth, so I only splashed my toothbrush before I actually started. I was pumped, and Katon fed off that through our new bond, so as I brushed like a madman, Katon started to puff out a bit and gave his reflection the best game face he could manage. Serious as he was, he was so small, and it was kinda hilarious. When I spat out my toothpaste, Katon fired off a few embers.

I left the bathroom cackling, and then sprinted back upstairs, but not before listening for my father's reaction. "Why is the mirror all scorched up?" he asked, "It wasn't like this when you moved in, was it?"

Upstairs, I dropped Katon off on my desk, and discarded my pajamas. I pulled on some of my matte black pants, and reached for one of my t-shirts, before ultimately going with a light chain shirt. Next, I pulled a black, long sleeved shirt that zipped up the middle and bore a modified red leaf ninja insignia on both my shoulders. Where the normal leaf swirled into the center, mine had a pokeball print, which seemed odd because nobody used pokeballs in the Great Nations, but hey… where don't pokeball prints end up, am I right?

In my closet, above the hangers, was this shelf that I kept all my other clothes on. I threw a pair of combat padded orange shoes and gloves over my shoulder, and grabbed my favorite beanie. Katon chirped at the sight of it, so I tossed it to him, and enjoyed the sight of him circling around it as I pulled on my shoes and gloves. Finally, I grabbed my beanie and pulled it on. It totally hid my hair, and had two parts, the first part was this black headband lookin' part with a red pokeball print, and the rest of the beanie was white, long enough that it fell back over the bandana a bit, with spikey bits at the end.

Katon chirped and hopped excitedly. I held out my hand, but he bypassed it, and leapt right up to my shoulder. "We're ready," I said, and turned around.

My parents were standing behind me, in matching robes. Mom pulled an orange knapsack with a snap on, over the shoulder strap out from behind her back, and held it out to me. She stepped up to me, threw the bag part over my shoulder, grabbed the other end, and clipped it together over my chest. On either side of the clip were slots that opened with buttons like I'd seen so many of the ninja in this village wear. She pointed to them, "For your pokescrolls," she explained, "and we made sure it's packed with kunai, a few shuriken, and healing berries for Katon."

She hugged me hard, and my father gave me a thumbs up from over her shoulder. He left, and Mom let go, but not before saying, "Oh, and May is outside waiting for you. Hurry along."

I pushed past him, and ran out of the house, sure enough, there was May, with a fanny pack that appeared to be the same brand as my own bag. "Hey there neighbor!" she exclaimed, "We've gotta got meet with Wally, and then we'll head over to the Academy, okay?"

She hopped onto my roof, so I followed, but I asked, "Who's Wally?"

We started leaping along the buildings, and while I had to keep my eyes on May's feet to stay on course, May smiled at me, "Oh! Yeah, so in the Land of Fire, newbies like us are called Genin, and they train in groups of three with a sensei, or teacher. Wally is the last of our trio."

I nodded, and May sped up, so even though I wanted to keep asking questions, I had to completely focus on keeping up. We went north for a few blocks, before turning west for a bit longer. Eventually we came upon a giant circular building with a lime green roof with only one story, which even though it was short, seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the mass of apartment complexes and shops that surrounded it. May knocked on the door, and then took a few steps back to stand next to me. "Oh, uh, by the way," she said, "I know Wally can look a little… strange, but he's totally healthy now, okay?"

When the door opened, a pale boy stepped out and closed it behind him. His skin sharply contrasted with his lime green hair, which stuck out in all directions, but his eyes sparkled with a life I would not have attributed to a person whose skin was nearly translucent. He wore a light gray shirt with sleeves that fell well past his hands, and pants which matched his hair color. "You must be Brendan," he said with a faint smile, "I'm Wally. It's nice to finally meet the son of Norman."

I arched an eyebrow, "Yeah, well pretty soon people will be remembering him as my father."

He pointed a sleeved hand at Katon. "Is that your Torchic?"

I nodded, "Meet Katon," and looked to Katon, "Say hi, buddy."

My starter tilted his head and chirped. I smiled, "I think that's as much as you're gonna get."

Wally flicked his wrist, and showed me a pokescroll. Unlike Katon's, this one was two colors, purple and pink, with a logo cut right down the middle, equal parts third eye and full moon, "I'd like to introduce my pokemon, if that's okay, then."

The scroll unfurled straight down, and white smoke billowed off the paper. When the smoke cleared, a Ralts was hiding behind Wally's right leg. "Meet Gen, like Genjutsu," Wally said.

May bounced excitedly. "Hey! I'll let my partners out too, and we can walk them to the academy, it'll be like a pokemon parade!"

She pulled out a black scroll with a white crescent moon, and summoned a Poochyena, "Meet Chuckles!"

Chuckles ran around May in a circle, and turned to Wally, before opening its mouth and barking this high pitched noise that was uncannily similar to a chuckle. Then May pulled out a second scroll, this one purple, with a complete third eye logo, summoning a Spoink. "And we can't forget Pogo, can we?"

Katon leapt down to the ground, and the pokemon started running around each other in a crazed desire for discovery. As they swarmed about, May and Wally leapt up to Wally's roof. I followed, and the pokemon were right behind me. May pointed to a square, orange building, several stories taller than its neighbors, with red roofing. "There's the Academy, Brendan," she said with a devious smirk, "Race ya!"

Before she'd even challenged me, she'd taken off, and Wally wasn't far behind her. Clearly this was not an uncommon occurrence. I funneled chakra to my legs and exploded from roof to roof after them. Three leaps in, I passed Wally, who wailed something along the lines of "Waaaait!" but May was four blocks ahead of me.

Two blocks later, May was five blocks ahead of me, and Chuckles and Pogo passed me up. Katon managed to get to my shoulder by the time May reached the Academy, six blocks ahead of me. I landed panting, and marveled at May's speed. "How'd you get so fast?"

She smacked her fists together. "I'm a Taijutsu specialist. Don't worry, soon enough you'll be so used to eating my dust, you won't want to go a day without it."

I laughed until Wally landed, and we entered at the same time. Professor Birch was waiting for us inside, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He took a sip, and gestured for us to follow him. He led us to a classroom, and waved at the seats. May took a seat at the front row table, pulled out the chairs on either side of her, and smacked on their seats. Wally and I shared a look, I shrugged, and then we sat down where she wanted us to. Katon hopped onto the desk and bounced in place.

"Wow," Wally marveled, "You've only known Katon for what, a day? And it's already reflecting your personality. Amazing."

I looked at Katon, and he spun around to look at me. "What?"

May giggled and started to pet Chuckles, "Pokemon become like their trainers through a mystical bond we don't quite understand yet, and you and Katon are already on the same page. It's really cute."

Katon looked at May, then at me, and shook his head. "Couldn't have said it better myself," I said and leaned back into the chair.

Professor Birch cleared his throat. "Okay, so now that that's out of the way, let's talk about why you three are here. Pokemon haven't been a regular sight on this continent in over three hundred years," he paused to let that sink it, "but now they're appearing all over the Great Nations. Lord Hokage, the top ninja if you will, has hired you three, whom have been deemed to be at least of Genin skill level, to catalogue which species of pokemon have made their homes in the Great Nations,

"And to train other genin to incorporate pokemon into their fighting styles," the professor paused again, "and that's going to be a lot of what you do. When you are not with your sensei on a mission or out cataloguing, you will be training with the other genin of your year. Does that make sense?"

I chewed on that for a moment, then snapped my fingers with an idea. "Hey, is there a kid who dresses up in orange in our year? Yellow, spikey hair?"

The professor sighed, "That would be Naruto Uzumaki, trouble maker extraordinaire, and yes. He's been assigned to Team Kakashi. Do you want to be assigned to that group?"

My blood started pumping at the idea of working with somebody able to make that many shadow clones. "Yes."

The professor guffawed, and said, "Okay… remember, you asked for it."

He reached behind the instructor's podium, pulled out his satchel, and opened it. "Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you're officially ninja, and with that honor, come these headbands."

He set a headband with the pokeball-leaf combo logo in front of each of us. I tied mine around my bag, while May tied hers around her waist, and Wally looked at us, and then the headband. "Don't they go on your heads? Guys?"

"If you want it to," May nodded.

"Meh," I responded.

Wally sighed, and tied his where it was "supposed" to go. "Okay. So, we got our headbands. Are we going to meet our Jonin sensei?"

Birch waved him off. "He's outside, and I have one more thing to give you."

He reached into his bag again, and pulled out three square pieces of metal. He set the squares on our desks, and flipped them over, revealing glass screens. "These are top of the line from the Kalos region," he said, and touched the glass, which morphed to show a picture, "touch screen pokedexes. If you have it on your person, it will record the pokemon you encounter. Just remember to keep them charged, okay?"

I slipped the pokedex into my bag, May held hers under her arm, and Wally slipped his into one of his sleeves. Now May was bouncing, "This is so exciting!"

The Professor smiled, and said, "Okay, with that, my part is done, I'll send your sensei in."

He left the room, and a tall, thin man, with spikey, iron gray hair came in. He wore a black yukata with silver linings, with one arm poking out of the center, resting in one of the folds of the cloth. From what I could see, under that he wore standard blue combat gear from the hidden leaf, but no hidden leaf headband. He smiled, and said, "Hey! I'm Steven Stone, and I'll be taking care of you guys."

He sat on the desk, and said, "Well, if we're gonna do introductions, we should do them right. My name is Steven Stone, and like you guys, I joined up with the Hidden Leaf pretty recently. I've got the headband somewhere, but I'm not used to it yet. I'm here to help you refine your techniques, lead missions, and give advice for when you're helping out the other genin squads, okay?"

He nodded to me, so I said, "I'm Brendan, and I'm going to be so great that people will forget my father's name."

Steven smiled, a pleasantly surprised smirk on his face. "Okay, we'll work towards that."

May stood up, and said, "I'm May Birch, and I'm gonna help me dad in his research while making friends with all sorts of people and pokemon."

When she sat down, Wally sighed, then he half stood up, and said, "I'm Wally, and I want to be strong for me and my pokemon, that's all."

Steven nodded, pushed himself off his desk, and walked over to ours. "Great, well, today we'll be going on our first mission while the other genin teams take their teamwork exams. The other genin teams are in the surrounding rooms. Brendan will be going to room 3 to meet with Team Kakashi, Wally, I want you to work with Team Kurenai in room 4, considering your family history, and May, you'll work with Team Asuma in room 2, okay?"

Steven opened the door, "Meet with your team briefly, and then meet me outside so we can begin. Congratulations, you guys are officially Team Steven."

And when Steven left, we looked at each other for a moment. "Team Steven, huh?" May remarked, "I like it."

Wally stuck his hand, palm down, over May's portion of the desk, and May put her hand on top of his. They looked to me, so I rolled my eyes, and added my hand to the pile. "Whoo," I said, dripping sarcasm, "Go team."

Wally frowned, and May laughed. She rustled my beanie and said, "Stop trying to be so cool, ya dingus."

That got me laughing, and we got up from the desk. I waved as I went through the door, "See you guys in a bit."

I walked past one door, and went into room 3. The door was a little open, but I didn't look up to see the eraser waiting to fall on my head. So as I stepped into the room, the eraser fell, bounced off my head, and backwards onto Katon. Three Genin were inside, first was the kid in orange, then was a girl with long pink hair in a red outfit, and in the back was a broody type with raven hair and a blue shirt. The kid in the back grunted with disgust, and the girl asked, "Seriously? This is our Jonin Sensei? He doesn't even look that much older than us."

Orange kid snorted, "What a loser!"

I grinned through the rage, and said, "Hi, I'm Brendan, and I'm not your sensei."

Orange kid leaned onto a desk, "Then what are you here for?"

I gestured to Katon, "I'm here to help you guys incorporate pokemon into your ninjutsu. When we're not on missions, we'll be training together. I'm excited about working with you."

The girl walked over to Katon and crouched down. "Wow, this little guy's super cute."

"Cute?" I asked, and Katon let out a devastated chirp.

I picked up the eraser, tossed it into the air, and as it began to fall, Katon bathed it in embers, which totally incinerated it, so only ash fell to the ground. "We don't do cute," I growled, "We're badass."

"Whoa!" orange kid exclaimed, "Hey, could you help me get one of those?"

"That's my job," I said through a fake smile, "but I should probably discuss all that with your sensei first, how much longer do you think Kakashi will be?"

"It's been hours," the kid in the back responded.

A new voice came from behind me, "Well, it won't be much longer, I assure you."

I spun around to see a Konoha jonin with gray hair that stuck straight up and a little to the side, a mask which covered all of his face except for his eyes, and his headband was tilted to cover one of those. "You guys starting fires in here?" he asked, "I kind of hate you already."

He looked at me, and despite the fact that the one eye I could see was giving me a happy vibe, his voice dripped with venom. "You must be Brendan, the third Hokage told me we'd be meeting soon, but not before tomorrow's training exercise. You can start with them tomorrow, at noon, once they've finished their training with me, understood?"

I saluted, and edged by him out of the room. "What a dick," I muttered, and I hoped he heard me.

Outside the academy, the rest of Team Steven was waiting for me, with a giggly atmosphere. "How is your team?" Wally asked as I came near.

"Buncha jerks," I declared with a shrug, "They'll come around."

Steven chuckled, "Okay then, without further ado, it's time for our first mission."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

We had the target surrounded. It was outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outmatched. Four highly trained ninja, five trained pokemon, and still, somehow, against all the odds… Skitty punched a hole through our perimeter.

Giant, pink hearts flew from its waving tail and the world stopped moving. I was totally enthralled with the sparkles, then with speed that seemed unnatural, unholy even, it rushed Katon, and took him down with a swat of its tail. My bond with Katon meant that as the air left his lungs, the air in mine left at the same pace. I meant to say something about life not being fair but only a horrendous, gurgling grunt escaped my mouth.

As I hit the ground, I heard Steven-sensei-sensei shout, "Okay, that Skitty is trained to use Double Edge! That's an advanced, high damage move. Keep your distance."

Skitty trotted by me, before dashing back into the forest. Steven-sensei-sensei leapt over to me, and put a blue berry in my hand. "Oran berry should get you back on your feet Brendan," he said, "Who could have known that the Fire Daimyo's wife actually trained her pokemon?"

I devoured the berry, and Wally pulled the mission scroll out from one of his sleeves. "Mission Brief only says that she plays with it everyday. They should have worded that better."

May offered me a hand, so I took it, and pulled myself up. "What was with the hearts?" I asked.

One of May's eyebrows arched at me. "Hearts? How hard did Katon get hit?"

"Captivate," Steven-sensei-sensei supplied, "Another advanced technique. Brendan was immobilized under its effects."

Katon's gaze bore a fire that reflected the one in my heart. "I'm gonna make Skitty pay for that."

May snorted, Wally sighed, and Steven-sensei-sensei chortled, "Isn't rushing in headlong what got Skitty's attention in the first place?" he asked, "We need to communicate better."

Katon puffed up, and spewed embers into the air. "You tell 'em buddy." I said, and ran after Skitty.

"Oh, well then f*ck logic," Wally sighed, "Let's charge in after the Torchic."

It hadn't even gotten that far. It stood with its back to a tree, its tail waving slowly from side to side. May caught up to me so I said, "Circle wide, and keep it on its toes."

"Roger," she replied, and we split off.

When we were on opposite sides of it, I pulled a kunai from my backpack and threw it at Skitty's feet. I missed, as intended, but Skitty didn't run towards May, it just sort of fell over. May moved in slowly, so I matched her pace. "Something's not right," I whispered.

Skitty was writhing on the ground, but couldn't find its feet. I leaned in, and saw a few, nearly invisible strands interwoven between its legs, and attached to the tree behind it. "Ambush!" I shouted, and leapt backwards.

Several strands of a silk-like material shot into the ground I'd been standing on, but May hadn't moved fast enough, and more silk ensnared her to the tree with Skitty. I turned my head to see two Wurmple, hanging on the bottom of a tree branch. "Target!" I shouted, and rolled to my right.

Wally ran over to May with a kunai into a slide, but as he started to cut her free, the two Wurmples turned to him and sprayed him down. He got one step away before they immobilized him, but they didn't get his hands, so he threw his kunai at them.

The kunai flew between the two pokemon, but stopped their stream of silk for a moment. They looked at each other, and then sprayed poison stingers from their mouths. "Poison sting!" I shouted.

And just like that I was outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outmatched. I looked to Steven-sensei-sensei-sensei and shouted, "What do I do?"

He reached into his yukata, and tossed me two blank pokescrolls. "Unfurl them, aim, and flick your wrists!"

I let the scrolls unfurl a little, eyed the two Wurmples, and flicked my wrists at the same time. The paper of the scrolls extended with a will of their own, but slowly, and gave my targets more than enough time to leap to another tree branch. "One at a time!" Steven-sensei-sensei chided.

"Katon! Pick one!" I shouted.

Katon shot embers up at the Wurmple, driving them apart, and then borrowed some of my chakra to leap up into the tree, and chase one of our enemies towards the trunk. I eyed the other one, and flicked my left wrist.

The scroll took off this time, and missed again, or so I thought. After it went by Wurmple, it turned around, and wrapped around him. The scroll weaved around the pokemon, dragging it through the air towards me. When the bulk of the scroll reached my hand, the Wurmple started to struggle against the paper, but after a moment, white smoke erupted out from between the folds of paper.

When the smoke faded, the pokescroll was half light-green and half purple, with a split logo of an insect wing and the toxic sludge bubbles. "Oh, that was cool."

I looked back up to see Katon and the second Wurmple in a stare-down. I got the second pokescroll ready, and shouted, "Hit the dirt!"

Katon leapt down as I flicked my wrist. The Wurmple didn't know what was coming until it had already happened. In seconds I had a second Wurmple. "Whoo!" I cried, and Katon ran at me for the chest bump.

I reached out to make sure he didn't fly off into a tree, and we spun for a moment. Katon chirped triumphantly, and I pulled out both scrolls. "Can I keep them?" I asked.

Steven-sensei nodded, and said, "Fine, but how about you free your teammates and we give Skitty back to her trainer?"

"The silk is stuck in my hair," May bemoaned.

I held out Katon's pokescroll, opened it, and Katon leapt back into it. As I walked over to the mass of sticky silk, I grabbed my new pokescrolls. When I was just in front of them, I unfurled the scrolls, and nicknamed the first one Yin, and the other Yang.

When they poofed into existence, I said, "Could you let my two friends go, and bind Skitty up into a portable ball for us?"

Yin and Yang crawled onto Wally first, eating their silk like a vacuum cleaning up spaghetti. When Wally was free, Steven-sensei handed him a Pecha berry, and patted him on the back. "We've got some work to do, but not bad for your first mission, guys."

"Gaaaaah!" May wailed as Yin went to work on her hair, "It's got too many legs!"

Wally munched on his Pecha berry with his back to a nearby tree trunk. "That _really_ hurt."

"Well, poison _is_ bad for you…" I said with a smile and offered him a hand up.

He stood up, wobbled a bit, and shook his head. Gen rushed out from behind Steven-sensei to hug him. "I'm good. I'm good."

The second Yin and Yang were done with May she jumped to her feet and did a full body shudder. "Never again. You hear me? Never again."

Yin and Yang made these high pitched clicking sounds. "They're on our side now," I reminded her.

May shoved a finger in my face. "NEVER AGAIN."

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "No more shooting sticky silk at May, boys."

Yang clicked at me again, "No shooting sticky silk at May, lady and gentleman," I corrected.

Steven-sensei chuckled, "You guys are too much! Okay," he picked up Skitty, whose every appendage was bound into ball of silk, "Let's complete the mission."

Wally scratched the back of his head, "You think we could walk? I'm a bit dizzy."

So we took our sweet time walking through the forest, into the village and to the Hokage building. The Fire Daimyo's wife was waiting there for us, and despite her Skitty's bound up state, she was overjoyed to be reunited with her pokemon. We got payed, and Steven-sensei led us out of the building.

Once we were outside, it hit us. It hadn't been a hard mission, but we'd completed our first actual mission. This time when Wally put his hand out in front of May, I had no qualms about getting in on the party. Our hands flew up into the air, and passers-by stared as we cheered.

Steven-sensei put a hand on my shoulder, and Wally's creating a circle. "Okay, well you guys should head home and rest up. Tomorrow is a big day, after all. At nine am we have a mission on top of the Hokage monument, don't be late, and you guys are playing ambassadors to the village at noon with the other genin.

"It will be you and your pokemon sparring with the genin from that team," Steven-sensei continued, steel in his gaze, "and I want to be totally clear in my expectations of you. You. Will. Win."

I gulped, even though counting my pokemon I outnumbered Team Kakashi, but they might have better communication simply be virtue of being in the same class for as long as they had. Wally, if it was possible, became even paler, and May punched an open palm. "I'll hit 'em hard and fast."

Steven-sensei smiled, "If you don't I'll _break_ you, physically, mentally, and emotionally," even May gulped at that, "and then I'll rebuild you until you _can_ beat three measly genin."

Wally and I made eye contact and were subjected to full-body shivers. "Yay…" I whispered, and then Steven-sensei left in a poof of smoke.

"Steven-sensei is scary," Wally muttered.

I didn't sleep much that night. Around midnight I gave up on the concept of rest all together. I went over to my desk, and stared at my three pokescrolls. The first thing on my agenda would have to be buy more pokescrolls, which was easy enough, and the mission following that didn't bother me too much, but I really needed an idea on how to beat three genin. In a fair fight I wouldn't win, so I would have to make the fight as unfair as possible. That meant setting up traps.

With all the speed I could muster I got dressed for the day, and then I slowed to a crawl, and left my house. Even this late at night, ninja were running to and fro on the rooftops, but they left me alone. When I got to training ground three, I took a seat on one of the three punching logs, and looked around.

If I had any water pokemon, I could have hidden a lot down there, but I didn't have water pokemon, so I turned to face the forest. That had a lot of potential. Easy to hide, easy to strike from, and lots of surface area to stick to.

I leapt into the canopy, and reached into my bag. I had seven kunai, fourteen shuriken, some wire, and three kunai parachutes. I attached a kunai to each parachute, and searched through the perimeter of the clearing. I found two squirrel dens, so I hid one kunai parachute in each, and kept the third in my bag.

From there, I jumped on a few decently sized branches so they broke, and sharpened both ends to points, tied them to wire, and then back to the trees they'd fallen from, so they'd swing at potential pursuers. Those would have to do.

Once again, I looked at my pokescrolls. Katon could keep up with me, and I was fairly certain any of the leaf genin. Yin and Yang, on the other hand, weren't fast enough, but their string shot and poison sting attacks were incredibly useful. I needed to speed them up, but I couldn't do any sort of effective speed training overnight.

Then it occurred to me. They were very lightweight, and wouldn't slow me down much. I summoned them, and placed Yin on my right forearm way from my palm, and Yang on my left in the same way. I pointed straight ahead of me with both of my index and middle fingers. "When I point with two, use poison sting at what I'm pointing at, okay?"

I changed to pointing with four fingers, "When I point with four, use string shot at whatever I'm pointing at, okay?"

Yin and Yang nodded their heads. I smiled, "Okay then, how about a little practice then, huh?"

I leapt back into the clearing, rolled, and when I was at a kneeled position, I pointed two fingers at the punching posts. Yin and Yang shot a barrage of poison stings at the posts, most of which hit, so I stopped pointing leapt onto the middle one, and pointed with four fingers back into the canopy.

Strands of silk shot out with lightning speed, connecting to the tree. I turned around, aimed at the stream, and pointed four with my right, and two with my left. Yin and Yang kept up without issue. "That's great."

Someone tapped my shoulder, so I jumped in surprise, fell off the punching post, and rolled to the side as I hit the ground. I pointed both my fists at the person behind me, and found Steven-sensei standing there. My arms fell to the side, and I sighed, "Holy crap sensei, you scared the shit out of me."

His legs slipped off the front, he fell to a seated position on the post. "You've been working hard. Kakashi, what do you think?"

Kakashi flickered into my vision, feet by my head. He was reading a book with two people being all lovey-dovey on the cover, "He's good. Might be a match for my team. They'll come together after the bell exercise."

I rolled forward, turned to face Kakashi. "Are you gonna rat on me? Cause I will redo every single trap, so help me."

Kakashi eye-smiled at me, and said, "Nah. You deserve a handicap."

Steven chuckled, walked over to me, and flicked my forehead. "But you need your sleep. See you in the morning."

"I'll go home," I said, and started to walk away, but I started wobbling.

"I doubt you'll make it that far," Steven mused.

I fell over like a log, and I know this might not sound right, but the grass felt so comfy, and before I knew it I was asleep.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

AN: this chapter ended up going a bit longer than the other three… I doubt they'll all be this long.

A light kick to the ribs woke me up. I rolled over and found Team Kakashi circled around me, staring at me. "What are you doing here?" the girl asked.

I tried to move, but something was keeping me on the ground. So I looked down, and Yin and Yang had spun a partial cocoon, like a blanket, over me while I slept. "We need to go guys," I said, and Yin and Yang, somewhere down by my feet, began to remove the silk.

"My sensei knocked me out last night," I said to the girl, "and now I have to go meet up with him. What time is it?"

"A little after seven," orange boy supplied, "why did your sensei knock you out?"

I smiled, "You'll figure it out soon enough."

Once I was at my feet, I opened Yin and Yang's scrolls, and they jumped back onto the page. Without giving them any more opportunities to mess with me, I ran back into town. You can always recognize a pokemart when you go into a new town. Every single one of them has a bright blue roof, and a giant, spinning sign with a pokeball print, so I went to the nearest tower, and scanned the village.

It was close to the Kage building, so I ran that way. I landed just in front of the door, and marveled at the building. Unlike the rest of the village, it had all the pipes on the inside, but I could hear its air conditioning unit from outside. The door opened automatically, and I stepped inside. It was like a candy store.

Everywhere I looked was something that I wanted. Potions. Ethers. Books, and all manner of information guids, but I didn't have eyes for anything but the pokescroll section. The entire back wall was devoted to blank pokescrolls. I grabbed four and went over to the register. They were expensive, but I didn't want to be unprepared, so I bit the bullet, emptied my wallet, and walked out prepared to deal with whatever came my way.

I stared up at the top of the Hokage monument and sighed, "No time like the present, I suppose."

It was a slog, but I ran up the mountain, over the faces, and onto the top of the monument. Steven-sensei, May, and Wally were waiting. "The conquering hero returns," Steven said with a smile.

"Setting up an ambush was cunning," Wally remarked with a smile, "Wish I'd thought of it."

May narrowed her eyes, "I don't know Brendan… seems kinda sneaky. How do you know that Team Kakashi isn't setting up traps for you now?"

I shrugged, "Let's get to work, and worry about that later."

Steven-sensei smiled, and started walking. "This way then," he said, "and we start our mission."

He led us into a nearby hut, containing stairs down to the hokage building, and after the first flight, he stopped by the wall, knocked on it three times, and revealed a secret door. May gasped, and then rushed down the corridor it revealed without a second thought. "We don't know what's down there…" Wally said, flashing me a concerned look, "What do we do?"

I shrugged, "We go after our teammate."

I went first, with Wally right behind me. The hallway didn't go that long, in fact it opened up pretty quickly into a giant, circular chamber carved into the mountainside. The ceiling was almost non-existent with a large, circular hole that sunlight filtered down through. The chamber itself was occupied by seven rows of berry trees.

The first row was oran berries, followed by pechas, then chesto, cheris, leppas, rawsts, and finally aspear berries. I whistled. "Quite the stock we got here."

May was gaping at all of it, "Who do you think takes care of these?"

"I did. But now… you do," Steven-sensei followed behind at a walk.

He nudged Wally, and pointed to a wheelbarrow. "Grab that and follow me."

Wally did as instructed, and May and I followed Steven-sensei over to the far left oran tree. When Wally reached us, Steven picked all eight berries from the tree, and dropped them into the wheelbarrow. Almost an instant after the last berry left the tree, the entire trunk, and all of the branches and leaves disintegrated into nothing.

We were stunned into silence, but Steven-sensei launched into his lesson, "When you pick all of the berries off a tree, the tree will disappear. You must plant another berry for each tree you exhaust. Tdoay, you will pick all of the berries here, and plant new trees."

Steven-sensei pulled a spade from his yukata and tossed it to May. "Dig a hole for me real quick."

May dug until Steven nudged her with his knee. He grabbed one of the berries from the wheelbarrow, and dropped it in the hole. He dirt over the berry, and pointed to the entrance. "There's a faucet and a watering can. Make sure one of you waters the trees every day. The rotation should be May, Wally, Brendan, twice, and then on the seventh day, you all show up here for the next harvest. Is that clear?"

We all nodded, so Steven-sensei smiled. "These berries are going to revolutionize medicine in the village, and it's important that the hospital gets its orders every week. Once you've picked all the berries, move the wheelbarrows back to the door. That said, since these are _your_ berries, you should feel free to take what you need before you leave, have I been totally clear in my expectations?"

We all nodded, so Steven-sensei turned around, and said, "Get to work!"

And we did. For hours. After about an hour of working as individuals, I sat back on my heels, covered in dirt, and said, "There's got to be a better way to do this."

Wally swept one of his sleeves on his brow. "What if we do it like an assembly line?"

May looked at me, and shrugged, so that's what we did. Wally picked berries, I planted them, and May watered them. Around noon we were exhausted, but everything was done. I grabbed two leppa berries, tossed each of them to Wally and May, and grabbed another for myself. One bite and I got a rush of energy. "That hit the spot!" I crooned, and dashed out of the berry grove.

In a minute I was out on the street, and in two minutes I was hallway out the village. As the buildings at the perimeter of the building got shorter, I moved to the streets and sped into the forest. But before I could speed up again amongst the tree branches, I heard a cry: "HEEEELP!"

I stopped, waited, and listened. From my left, "DON'T TAKE MY GOODS!"

My eyes widened with anxiety. It was a man's voice, but it sounded sexual. Team 7 would have to wait. I ran towards the voice, and found a rotund man in a business suit that had been bought by a thinner man with his back to a tree and a suitcase in his arms. Facing away from me was a man with terrible posture, tanned skin, black board shorts, a matching beanie, and a blue and white striped shirt. "Oh, nobody's here to hear you scream, worm. Hand over the suitcase, my boss wants it."

The business man was sweating profusely, wiped his brow, and saw me behind this assailant. "You there! Ninja! Help me."

The man in the striped shirt turned around to face me, revealing a stylized "A" logo on his beanie reminiscent of crossbones. "Nobody gets in the way of Team Aqua!"

He pulled a pokescroll from his pocket, and summoned a poochyena. "Back off!" he cried.

I summoned Katon, and said, "Ember!"

Katon's appearance rattled the Aqua grunt, and I took the opportunity to close the distance between us and deliver a blow to his solar plexus. He coughed, and fell over onto his back, and Katon kept battling with his poochyena behind me.

"Who are you really?" I demanded.

Then something latched onto my backpack, and I lunged down, pressing a kunai to the Aqua Grunt's neck. "Call off your pokemon," it was a whisper, and serious as the grave.

The Grunt went absolutely still, but his eyes widened. "That's not my pokemon."

"Katon!" I called, and I felt fire soar over my head.

A small, green pokemon careened over my shoulder, held out a paw to the Grunt, and when it pulled its paw back, green energy went with it, which the pokemon ate. I managed to get a good look at it when it landed. It was a Treeko.

I flipped my kunai so the loop was facing down, and cracked the Grunt over the head. "New priority!" I shouted, "Capture Treeko!"

Katon leapt over me, and scratched down with his claws, but Treeko rolled to the side, and swept his tail up, knocking Katon into a mid-air tumble. I threw my kunai, but Treeko caught it, and threw it back.

My kunai grazed my ear as I dodged, but only my dignity took a real hit. Katon got up furious, and unleashed a torrent of embers. Treeko caught fire, and started to roll around, so I grabbed an empty pokescroll, opened it, and flicked my wrist.

Treeko didn't put up much of a fight, and was captured almost instantly. The scroll turned green with a leaf logo. I opened the scroll, pulled out the pen, and nicknamed him Mokuton. The rotund man ran over to me as I finished and grabbed my hand, "I'm in your debt, sir. What is your name, fine ninja?"

We shook, and I unclipped one of the slots on my knapsack's strap, and slipped Mokuton's scroll inside it. "Brendan, I'm assigned to Steven Stone's genin team. I've got an appointment I've got to keep, so I can't escort you to wherever you're going, but best of luck getting there."

With that, I was back on track, and a few minutes later, I arrived in training zone three. Team 7 was sharing two bento lunches between the four of them, around the three punching posts. While just at the edge of the forest, I pulled a few shuriken from my pack and slipped them into the fold of my beanie behind my head.

I strode out into the area, and asked, "Save any for me?"

Orange kid pointed at me accusingly, "You were supposed to be here an hour ago! What's the deal?!"

I pointed my thumb over my shoulder, "Well, I was picking berries for a mission, and then some guy got mugged in the forest and I had to help him."

"He's a worse liar than you Kakashi-sensei," the girl muttered.

"Seriously," Orange kid spat, "It's like you two are related."

Kakashi and I shared a glance. He shrugged, so I shrugged, and I walked over to their little pow-wow. I took a seat and pulled an oran berry out of my pack. As I peeled it, I asked, "So, I told you my name, how about you guys tell me yours?"

Orange kid jumped up, pointed at himself, and then at me, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna become Hokage so all the villagers will respect me, Believe it!"

The girl sighed, and then rolled her eyes so hard I thought they got lost for a second. "I'm Sakura Haruno, and you better not be late to our next training session."

The kid with the black hair glared at me for a moment, "Sasuke Uchiha," and then went back to his lunch, "Don't hold me back."

"Guh!" Naruto exclaimed, "Stop tryna be so cool Sasuke! You're not the cool one, I am!"

Sasuke returned Naruto's glare, "Yeah, right, Deadlast."

I hummed, "So how did teamwork training go?"

They all stared at me, so I ran my mouth some more, "Cause I'm just getting this real harmonious vibe from everyone. Like, you know, you're all best friends."

"Alright, enough Brendan," Kakashi chided, "how about we focus on what you have to teach my team?"

Naruto sat back, and knocked his right hand into his left palm. "That's right, Brendan is supposed to teach us about pokemon."

I stood up, and backed away from the group. "Where are you going?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi stood up too, and said, "Here are the rules for your second teamwork exercise: Beat Brendan. It's you three vs. him. And once again, fight to kill, I've got it on good authority that Brendan will be."

Sasuke eyed me, "What's the catch? There's no way one genin can beat three."

I put my hands behind my head, and mimed scratching it. "Well, I don't know about beating you three… I'm thinking about _thrashing_ you three."

I grabbed my shuriken, and as I pulled my hands over my head, I aimed, so as my hands went past my face, I let go, sending my shuriken flying. Sasuke used his bento to block the two shuriken I sent his way, Sakura hid behind a punching post, and Naruto used his arm. "Ooooowwww!" he wailed.

Without giving them any time to recover, I flipped backwards into the tree line, summoned Katon, and leapt into the canopy. Sasuke rolled behind the left punching post, and called out, "Naruto! Get to cover!"

Naruto yanked one of my shuriken out of his arm, and said, "What? This guy's not on Kakashi sensei's level! Let's just kick him till he stops moving."

"We don't know what Brendan's capabilities are, hang back!" Sakura shouted.

Naruto sighed, but retreated behind the final post. I summoned Yin, Yang, and Mokuton. While Team Kakashi plotted, so did I. I handed Mokuton two Kunai and gestured for him to get on my left shoulder, and Katon got onto my right.

The stream ran perpendicular to me through the clearing, so I pointed to the right end of the steam, and said, "Katon, take your position there, wait for further instructions."

Katon leapt off through the forest, so I offered my hands out to Yin and Yang, who assumed their positions on my forearms. I circled left, found one of my squirrel dens, and pointed it out to Mokuton. "You can grab another kunai trap there when you run out," I said, and ran to the left end of the stream.

I handed Mokuton the kunai trap I kept in my bag, and said, "When I throw one of these into the clearing, you throw yours, okay?"

He nodded, and stuck his two kunai into the tree branch we were standing on, so I continued, "Immediately after that, go back to the other kunai trap, and wait until Team Kakashi is onto me. Throw the last one at Naruto, the orange one, and lure him into the forest."

Mokuton nodded, so I hurried around the perimeter. I found the second hidden kunai trap, and checked in on Team Kakashi. They were still huddled behind the posts, whispering to each other. I hoped it wasn't too much to ask for that they were having a disagreement.

Even if they weren't, it was time to spring my trap. I threw my kunai parachute high into the air, and continued clockwise towards Katon. Mokuton tossed his parachute in, and Team Kakashi took note, "Oh crap! He's not alone!" Naruto shouted, "Maybe his Team is here too!"

"Let's get into the trees and stay close!" Sasuke shouted and moved towards where Mokuton was.

Naruto reluctantly followed his team-mates while shouting something, but he was facing away from me so I didn't hear what. I knew that he could make hundreds of shadow clones, and that would be a problem, he had to go down now, and there is no time like the present.

I funneled chakra to my legs, and jumped onto the nearest punching post. As I landed, I bent my knees so I didn't make too much noise, and I shot string at Naruto's feet. The silk stuck him to the ground, but his momentum kept him moving forward, slamming his face into the grass.

He flipped over and grabbed his feet, "What is this stuff?"

Naruto looked up just in time to see my barrage of poison stingers aimed for his face. At least ten stingers were direct hits, and his face immediately started to swell and turn purple. As he scrambled to free his feet with one hand and pull stingers out with the other I ran up and cold clocked him.

In my mind, that had to have been more than enough to take him down, but then his body dissolved into white smoke, Sasuke and Sakura turned to me, smiled, and poofed, revealing that they were Naruto's shadow clones. "Nice try Brendan!" they said in unison and charged at me.

I riddled the two Narutos with poison stingers, and they poofed away too, leaving me alone in the clearing. "Teamwork training went well, clearly." I mused, and leapt back into the tree line.

Which was exactly what Sasuke wanted. As I landed on a tree branch, he used a demon wheel shuriken to cleave the branch from the trunk. But I was not done yet. I shot string to the branch, and flipped through the air, bringing the branch with me, and released the string when I became level with Sasuke.

"Ah!" he shouted, and took the branch to chest like a champ, ending up trapped beneath it.

"I don't have time for you," I spat, "I've got to take care of Naruto."

"What?" Sasuke asked, incredulous.

"He's acting like an idiot," I said, "but I'm not buying it. I know how many shadow clones he can generate. He's your team's trump card."

Sasuke stared at me slack jawed for a split second, then nodded, "You're right. We'll have to come up with a different strategy."

I stopped in my tracks. He was selling that too hard. Two and two came together. Naruto was powerful, but he was also a moron. That explained a lot, but it presented a new problem: whose idea had it been to trick me earlier? Certainly not Naruto's.

I turned back to Sasuke and riddled him with stingers, but he substituted his body for a nearby tree log. "Teamwork training went _very_ well," I mused, and went to check on Katon.

As I neared his end of the stream, two Narutos ran out into the clearing with Mokuton between them. "I've got one of his pokemon!" he cried triumphantly, "It had a few kunai, but that's not a problem for a ninja as awesome as me!"

I planted off my left foot, and pushed myself back into the clearing. "Use Absorb!" I shouted.

Mokuton pulled green energy from both Narutos, revealing one to be a shadow clone, and the other to be the genuine article. Naruto wasn't the brains, but he was still a problem. I shot silk at his hands, binding them into balls, so he couldn't make signs, and charged.

"Put him in a cocoon," I whispered to Yin and Yang, "and free Mokuton, kay?"

Naruto charged at me, brandishing his restricted fists, so I leapt over him, and flicked my wrists just above him, so Yin and Yang could drop onto him. When I landed, Naruto started screaming and scrambling to "Get them offa me!"

Mokuton dropped free, scampered over to me, climbed onto my back, and grabbed two shuriken. Yin and Yang were running to and fro over Naruto, binding his appendages together, and then when he fell, Yin rolled his body and Yang began the cocoon in earnest, leaving only Naruto's eyes and nose visible.

When Yin and Yang returned to me, their chakra reserves were exhausted, so I opened their pokescrolls and they leapt onto the pages for a rest. Then, like lightning, Sakura burst into the clearing, grabbed Naruto, and began to run back.

I managed to get one of my feet in front of her shins, toppling her over, but then Sasuke leapt into the air, the hand sign for tiger in front of his mouth, and he spat a fireball at me. In the face of all that fire, rushing towards me, my brain just stopped working for a moment.

Mokuton, on the other hand, did not falter. He leapt in front of me, and took the brunt of the explosion. He collapsed against me, and I recalled him to his pokescroll. Everyone in the clearing had stopped to stare. Team Kakashi was staring because a tiny pokemon had stopped Sasuke's fireball, but I was staring because my pokemon had taken a hit for me.

In that moment, I forgot about all the traps I'd laid, and all the plans I could have gone with, and I got really, really mad. My anger bled through my bond with Katon, and he ran into the clearing, and spat a fireball that matched the size of Sasuke's only a moment earlier.

The shock of Mokuton's move hadn't quite worn off, and Sasuke didn't move fast enough to evade Katon's move. Sasuke got up, and his right arm, and most of his shirt, were on fire. He quickly discarded his shirt and arm cozy, but I was already closing on him.

Just before I could hit him, someone grabbed both my arms and pulled them behind my back. I turned to see Steven-sensei, and when I looked back, Kakashi was standing between me and Sasuke. "That's enough, Brendan," Steven-sensei said, "You've won."

Kakashi stepped out of the way, and Steven-sensei let my arms go free. "Now," Kakashi said with a pause, "make the seal of reconciliation."

I offered my hand with two fingers out, and Sasuke returned the gesture. We locked fingers, shook, and let go. Sakura had found her feet, "We've got to get Sasuke to the hospital!"

"That won't be necessary," I said, and grabbed a Rawst berry from my pack, "Eat this. It'll get rid of the burn faster than a doctor."

Sasuke bit into the berry, and the burn began to heal a centimeter at a time. I turned to Steven-sensei, and asked, "How did Katon do that?"

Steven-sensei smiled, "If a pokemon witnesses ninjutsu that corresponds with its type, it will be able to use that jutsu for itself. Your Katon probably didn't have more than two more fireballs in his system."

I released Yin and Yang, whom were still tired, and asked, "You guys got it in you to free Naruto here?"

They nodded, crept over to him, and began to dissolve their silk. When Naruto got free, he pointed at Katon and shouted, "I have got to get me one of those!"

Steven-sensei put a hand on my shoulder, and said, "Brendan here didn't just graduate from a ninja academy, he also spent an extra two years afterwards learning all about pokemon, their moves, and how to incorporate them into ninjutsu. I don't know how much he's told you, but he's here to do the same for you three, only faster.

"Consider today a preview for what you'll be looking and fighting like very soon," Steven smiled, and began to walk away, guiding me with him, "We'll see you later."

Once we were out of earshot, Steven-sensei shook my shoulders with excitement. "Well done, you pass. Let's go check on your teammates"

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

Steven-sensei and I travelled to Traning ground 2, to find distressed Wally, and exhausted Gen standing with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino collapsed around him in a circle. "Gen used confusion, and they went into a frenzy," Wally explained, "I didn't do much but they took each other out. Do you think they're okay?"

Kurenai patted Wally on the head, and said, "This is what we wanted. I'll make sure they make it home alright, okay?"

Wally in tow, Steven-sensei and I went to training ground one, where May and Asuma were playing shogi. "Where's your team, Asuma?"

May cackled, and pointed to a nearby boulder. Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji were splayed out in the shade of the boulder, with Cackle chewing on Ino's hair, and Pogo bouncing on Shikamaru's chest. Only Shikamaru was conscious. He looked up when we came by, and said, "It's a total pain, but we're gonna have to work on our combination, because May disrupted it and tore us apart with no problems."

I looked over to Steven-sensei and asked, "Did I fight the only competent Genin, or am I the weak link in this team?"

Steven-sensei laughed, but didn't respond. "No, seriously, what happened here?" I asked.

"What do you think, Brendan?" he asked, and walked back over to Asuma.

I looked to Wally, whom shrugged, "I've sort of accepted that today won't make any sense."

"What I like most about sensei," I whispered as we followed, "is how much he teaches us, ya know? There's never a dumb question, as far as sensei is concerned."

"But he didn't answer your question…" Wally responded.

I sighed, "That was joke, Wally… that was the joke."

May bounded around the boulder and hugged us. "I lost at Shogi, but hey! We all won our matches!"

"Guess I don't have to _break_ any of you today," Steven-sensei said, pulled a paper fan out from one of his sleeves and began to fan himself, "Good job. Tomorrow you three will be meeting with one of the genin you beat today to start integration, understood?"

We all nodded, so Steven-sensei continued, "Brendan, Kakashi wants you to work with Sakura because" he used air quotes, "she "has the most room to grow," so have fun with that. Wally, Kurenai thinks you'll get along best with Ms. Hyuga, so that's who you'll be training. Finally, May, you will be working with Shikamaru, because he's apparently the leader of this merry bunch, and he should get the first crack at pokemon training."

"You three will meet those three in front of the hokage building tomorrow after breakfast, okay?" he asked.

We nodded again, Steven waved goodbye, and then he disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Am I the only one who wants to learn how to do that?" May asked, "When do we get to learn that?"

As we walked away May put an arm over Wally's shoulder, and then put her other arm over mine. "Seriously though… imagine your parents want you to do chores, and then you just poof away."

"That's the dream," Wally said wistfully.

When we got back to the village we went our separate ways, and I spent the rest of that evening restocking at the ninja tool shop, eating a quick dinner, and then I went directly to sleep.

The next morning I was sore. And not a little sore, I mean my legs screeched with each move I made sore. While Mom made breakfast, I set out pokechow and then stretched until I was nice and limber.

I grabbed my cereal while my pokemon ate their chow, and half an hour later, we were walking out the front door. May and Shikamaru walked past me on the way to the hokage building, so we waved at each other, and May called out, "Sakura's waiting for you!"

I nodded and sped up. Sure enough, Sakura was standing just outside the gate, leaning against one of the pillars. When she saw me she started walking towards me, so I adjusted to walk towards the pokemart and gestured for her to follow suit. "So, how does this work?" she asked.

I shrugged, "It's my first time, be gentle with me."

She stopped walking, turned her head to look at me, and glared death. "Are you hitting on me?"

I held up my hands appealingly, "I was joking, sheesh."

She crossed her arms and resumed walking, "I'll have you know that I like Sasuke."

That sent a shiver down my spine. We entered the pokemart, I showed her to the pokescroll wall, and said, "Grab one or two of these."

"Does it matter which one?" she asked, so I shook my head.

After she purchased her pokescrolls, we left the pokemart, and I pointed to a nearby bench. We sat down, and I cleared my throat, "So, uh, tell me about your style."

Sakura beamed at me, "Well, red is my favorite color, the compression shorts are for ease of movement, and I think my headband makes my forehead look smaller this way."

I stared at her for a moment. "I meant… I mean…" I paused, took a breath, and continued, "Sasuke shoots fireballs. Naruto makes clones. What do you do?"

Her mouth turned into a small circle for a moment, then she responded, "I hadn't really thought of it that way. I don't know."

I frowned. "I'm supposed to help you find a pokemon that helps your style, but you don't have a style. That actually makes this easier. What kind of pokemon do you want?"

She pumped her fists into the air. "Somethin' cute and badass!"

I pulled out my pokedex and searched for Skitty. "I think I know what you're lookin' for."

When a picture of Skitty came up, I turned the tablet so she could see it. "Wow!" Sakura exclaimed, so I swiped left to see its habitat list. "We can find Skitty… in the land of lightning… and in training ground seven, here in the hidden leaf."

Sakura jumped up and cheered, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Training ground seven was in the eastern half of the village, a meadow, with a rocky hill in its center. The hill had a network of tunnels that led to various points on the surface and a grand chamber underground. As Sakura and I came upon the training ground, she said, "You know, I don't think I've heard of anybody using this place. I mean, I understand when people don't want to use some of the more dangerous training grounds, but this place is kinda beautiful."

I had to admit, she was right. This place was stunning. I released Mokuton, and we started towards the hill. "I bet we could see any Skitty from up there."

Just at the foot of the hill, we saw the first tunnel entrance, and in that entrance, was a skitty. It was running around in a circle, chasing its own tail. Sakura pulled out the first of her two pokescrolls, and asked, "How do I do this?"

Mokuton ran wide, up the hill, and using his sticky paws, down to the lip of the cave, and waited. "Mokuton and I weaken it, and then you capture it." I supplied.

"Absorb!" I called, and Mokuton obeyed.

Green energy flew out of the Skitty, and Mokuton ate it. The Skitty looked up at Mokuton, over to us, and then bolted down the tunnel. "After it!" I cried.

We were ninja, and Mokuton was no slouch either, but that Skitty was fast. I couldn't afford to slow down enough to summon Yin or Yang, so my hope was that Skitty ran into a dead end. In a way, it did, but not in a way that helped me or Sakura.

Skitty took us down through the tunnels and into the subterranean chamber. It was about fifty feet wide in all directions, and sixty feet tall, but was really remarkable about it was that it was filled, wall to wall, with Whismurs. "What are those?" Sakura asked.

I clapped a hand over her mouth, and looked back to the Whismur. They were asleep, and I could see Skitty's tail poking up out of the crowd, and weaving its way to the back. "These are Whismur, the whisper pokemon, it usually only whispers, but when you scare it, its cries are guaranteed to split your eardrums. It inhales through its ear canals, because of this system, it will scream until it falls asleep from exhaustion."

Sakura went white like a sheet. I smiled, and lied, "I'm sure this is gonna go fine, we just need to be careful."

I started towards Skitty's tail, and Mokuton leapt onto my back. Sakura followed with one pokescroll ready. I pointed at the scroll, and held up two fingers. Each step was precarious, but Whismur roll around a bit in their sleep, so find a place to put my feet down wasn't necessarily difficult. Skitty, however, was on to us. It swept right, and I wasn't going to be able to change direction fast enough to stop it.

But Skitty hadn't counted on Sakura. The kunoichi was a bit behind me, and was able to slowly strafe through the Whismur to block Skitty's escape route. Over the course of the next five minutes was one of the slowest games of cat and mouse in recorded history, but it ended with Skitty in a corner, and Sakura captured it.

Our fist bump was quiet, but none the less exuberant. We picked our way out without issue, and Mokuton led us out of the caves. When we were out we both whooped for joy and did a jumping high five. We landed, laughing, and then heard a whimper.

With creeping horror, Sakura and I turned to see a single Whismur staring at us, its lip trembling dangerously. "At least we didn't wake up all of them," Sakura said.

Whismur turned to face the tunnel, and screamed so loudly I fell over backwards. When it stopped, I heard myself scream, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Capture it!"

Sakura captured it, and sighed, "At least that's over."

Training ground 7's hill rumbled, and I let my head fall to the ground, resigned. I didn't really hear my eardrum burst, but pain lanced in at my brain and the world was punctuated by a low buzzing. The Whismur had screamed in unison, and the tunnels had acted like an amp, destroying my ear drums.

I pushed myself up, recalled Mokuton, grabbed Sakura, and started running. She kept up after a moment, but I could feel the ground rumble behind me, and I knew we weren't safe, so with a horde of enraged Whismurs at our tails, we ran as fast as we could into the city proper of the village.

Later I would hear that six miles away, May and Shikamaru could hear the Whismur's tantrum, and even ten miles away, Wally and Hinata panicked at the sound. When the opportunity presented itself, we leapt up onto the rooftops of the buildings and looked back.

The Whismur horde stopped short of the paved streets, and returned whence they came. Sakura collapsed, eyes wide with panic, so I picked her up, threw her over my shoulder, and ran to the nearest hospital. The doctors let us stew for about a half hour before they fixed our ears and then talked them off about making better choices and thinking about the consequences of our actions.

When we were released, I clapped Sakura on the back, and sat her down on a bench. "Congrats, you're a pokemon trainer. The first of your squad. Take out your scrolls for me?"

She did, showing two white scrolls with a pokeball print logo. "Pick one." I said.

She opened the one closest to her, and it revealed Skitty was a girl, with the moves Captivate, Tackle, and Attract. I pointed to captivate, "This move makes people and pokemon stop whatever they're doing, and stare at Skitty, so use it to create a distraction for an ambush," my finger moved to tackle, "this move is self-explanatory," and my finger moved to attract, "This move is like captivate, but only works on boy pokemon. With this, though, you might even get a pokemon to change to your side, okay?"

Sakura nodded, so I pulled the pen out of the scroll, and handed it to her. "Nickname her."

And so Skitty became Flower. Sakura rolled up Flower's scroll, and unfurled Whismur's scroll. "So my Whismur knows… Pound, Echoed Voice, and Supersonic?"

I nodded. "Pound is also self-explanatory, echoed voice will do more damage as your Whismur screams, and supersonic will confuse your enemies."

Sakura removed the pen from Whismur's scroll and named him Tantrum. "That's a good name," I said, and stood up, "You should show your sensei what we got done today, and uh, start practicing with your pokemon in official training and on your own."

"What do they eat?" Sakrua asked.

I waved her off. "Pokechow is available at the pokemart, and they love that shit, it's like crack. They can also eat human food, but that's hit or miss on their enjoyment."

Sakura bowed, and left down the street, but I took a moment to just breathe, sitting on that bench. A finger tapped my hand, and when I turned my head, Steven-sensei was sitting right next to me. I scrambled over the bench's armrest and fell into the dirt. "Would you stop doing that?!" I shouted, "I get it! You're a jonin and I'm not!"

He just gave me the same even-keeled smile, and said, "Good job today. Would it have been better without the Whismur riot? Yeah. But I think the loss of eardrums was punishment enough, yeah?"

I nodded slowly, in the hopes of driving the conversation away from punishment. Steven-sensei planted his elbows on his knees, and rested his head on his fists. "I've tested you guys against regular ninja and you passed with flying colors, but… I want to see how you guys do against another pokemon trainer. Once I know that you guys are where I need you to be we can start to really have fun and go on missions like the other teams.

"There's a chunin by the name of Roxanne, who works at the Ninja Academy," he continued, "I'd like each of you to challenge her to a sparring match. When she says each of you are good enough to operate in the field, we'll go on our first team mission, yeah?"

I nodded, "Roxanne, got it."

Steven-sensei stood up, and left, but not before saying, "I'll let the others know, and I'll be hanging out around the academy until all three of you pass, yeah?"

"Yes sir," I said, and went to training ground 3, which I knew was safe, to work on my strategies.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

The next Saturday, or harvest day, as it was coming to be known to May, Wally, and I, Wally said, "I scheduled my test with Roxanne yesterday."

I'd been training, trying to come up with some edgy move that there was no way Roxanne could be prepared for, but I hadn't come up with anything. I didn't know what May was doing to prep, but I knew she hadn't tried her luck with Roxanne either. I wiped the sweat from my brow, and set the wheelbarrow down. "What's your play?" I asked.

Wally set down the watering can, and smiled feebly. "Well, confusion worked really well against Team Kurenai. I figure that so long as Roxanne doesn't use dark pokemon I'll be okay. Even if she uses Ghost type I have a way to counter that."

May banged the spade on the wheelbarrow, prompting me forward. "You sure it's a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket like that?"

Wally shrugged, "I've only got one pokemon, and I don't want to have a ton of pokemon right now. Maybe when I'm a jonin, but I don't know if I can handle more than two or three."

I stopped at the next berry tree, and started picking. "So the question becomes: does Roxanne have a certain type of pokemon she favors, and if so, which type?"

We chewed on that for a moment or two. "Maybe I should try first," I said, "I've got the most variety when it comes to types. Give you two a clue for ways to prepare yourselves."

"No," Wally said, "I want to see if I can do this. I said I was going first, and I meant it. Today at 3pm, in the Academy sparring yard."

May and I shared a glance, but we didn't disagree, and I can tell you that I didn't because I'd never seen Wally that fired up. I was eager to see why. Just as the assembly line had become a routine, so did our post-toil visit to Kanae's tea shop. Old Lady Kanae was a revolutionary who served _iced_ tea. Only place in the land of fire that did that, and it was right by the berry grove. Some things are simply meant to be.

That day, when we sat down, the old lady came up on us before we'd even gotten a chance to get settled. She place three glasses in front of us of which the top half was the light brown we'd come to expect from iced tea, but the bottom half was an almost translucent white "My newest creation," she said, "I haven't decided what to call it, but it is half lemonade, and half iced tea."

I stirred it, and took a tentative sip. My taste buds sang with joy at the flavors. "Delicious."

May and Wally sipped too. May hummed with delight, but Wally, twice in one day, shocked me. He sat back, his eyes wide, and he said, "That's the best drink I've ever had. If I don't have one of these a week, I don't know what I'll do."

I raised my glass over the table, and said, "Let's call it the Wally."

Wally's face quickly changed to horror, but May clinked her glass with mine, and old lady Kanae was already off to put it on the menu. "Why?" he asked.

"You liked the drink," May retorted.

"How can I order a drink named after myself?" he demanded. "I'll sound so arrogant."

May and I burst into laughter, and Wally let out a sigh. "Seriously guys? Dick move."

That only got us to laugh harder, though we both leaned in and hugged him tight. When we separated, I held up my glass, and said, "To Wally. Roxanne won't see you coming!"

"To Wally!" May shouted, and we finished our new drinks.

Naruto chose that moment to duck into Kaede's, waved, and sat down next to me. "Hey there Brendan! So, uh, we just got done training with Sakura's new pokemon, and I gotta say man, I'm impressed. What kind of pokemon am I gonna get?"

"Not one for subtlety, eh?" Wally asked.

I patted Naruto's back. "Look buddy, when your sensei wants me and you to go get a pokemon, we'll go get your pokemon. Until then, if you're looking to familiarize yourself with pokemon, I can do that. By the way, guys, this is Naruto, Naruto this is May and Wally."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and stared at May and Wally, each for no longer than a second, "Huh… so, what? They're like you?"

"We're Team Steven," May declared, "and so far, any one of us can take on an entire team on genin."

Naruto crossed his arms, and huffed, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, when I get my pokemon, I'll be able to take on the three of you and come out on top!"

Wally stood up, and said, "Well, this has been fun, but I have a battle to prepare for, chakra to mold, and uh, Naruto… you make me uncomfortable."

Wally took off, I clapped Naruto on the back, and said, "You need to relax a bit bud, how about you enjoy a drink with us?"

Naruto shrugged, so I shouted, "Another Wally for my hyperactive friend, please!"

"Wally must be some kinda big shot to have a drink named after him," Naruto muttered, "He didn't look the type. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover, eh?"

May collapsed into a fit of giggles. "See why I love this guy?" I asked and she nodded.

Naruto practically gulped down his "Wally," and cooed in appreciation. "Wow! That's really good!"

The hyperactive ninja leaned back in his seat, set his drink down, and mused, "To get a drink this good named after you… you must be a real badass! I wanna fight 'im!"

"The drink was supposed to calm you down man," I rolled my eyes, "Wally's got a big match today, and you can check it out."

With that, Naruto subsided for a bit, then proceeded to quiz May and I about our pokemon for the next hour. At about 2:45, I stood up, and said, "About time for the match. Let's head over."

The three of us jumped to the roof tops, and ran to the Academy. Around the back of the academy was a dirt training ground with a track and chalk outlined sparring circles. Wally was sitting in one such circle in a meditative pose. We took our seats in the nearby bleachers, and waited.

About two minutes later, the academy doors swung open, and a dark haired woman strode out. She wore a red spandex bottom, and a gray, tailed suit-coat that was buttoned up. She nodded at Wally, "You the first one?"

Wally opened his eyes, and nodded. As Roxanne approached him, Wally stood up, and bent his knees into a fighting stance. "That won't be necessary," Roxanne declared, and chopped her hand through the air, "Steven wants me to spar with you, but I don't care. I want to see your pokemon. Your pokemon vs. mine, with no trainer involvement whatsoever. Let's see who's got the better trained team."

She reached into the inside of her coat, and pulled out two brown pokescrolls. She summoned two Nosepass, whom drifted into the sparring area. "Summon your pokemon," Roxanne insisted.

Wally backed out of the ring, and summoned Gen, his Ralts. "It's you versus them this time buddy, and she says I can't help," Wally said, patting Gen's head, "but I know you'll win."

Gen stepped into the ring, and looked back to check with Wally, which was a critical error. The Nosepass duo charged at him at that moment, knocking him over.

The double tackle sent Gen tumbling head over heels, but mid-air, a purple circle appeared around his head like a halo. Gen grabbed the halo and tossed it like a discus, while upside down, and struck the right Nosepass.

As Gen tried to regain his feet, the right Nosepass began to spin around in a mad circle, and the left nosepass stuck its hands into the concrete and pulled a cube out of it. The right Nosepass's spinning reached a fever pitch, and it began to move towards its compatriot.

Gen began making another halo, but the left Nosepass slammed the block straight into Gen's torso, dispelling the move. Gen fell backwards under the block, and the Nosepass pulled another block up and was about to smash that one down too, but the other Nosepass spun right in the way, effectively blocking the attack.

The Nosepass in control of all its faculties frowned, and beat its compatriot over the head with its cube, once to the left, and then to the right. The second nosepass shook itself, pulled a cube out of the ground, and then in total synchronization, they pounded their cubes on top of Gen.

And just like that, in under a minute, it was over. Wally fell to his knees, and then onto all fours. May grabbed my sleeve, and whispered, "I know exactly what pokemon Wally needs to make a comeback. I'll take care of him, you go handle Roxanne."

We both moved in at the same time, May grabbing Wally and moving away, while I stepped up, and summoned all four of my pokemon. "It's on," I spat.

Roxanne nodded, "We haven't even broken a sweat."

Yin and Yang ran up my legs, and hopped onto my wrists. "What are you doing?" Roxanne asked.

I shot string at the feet of the two Nosepass and said, "Changing the rules, something you're familiar with."

Her eyes widened, and I sprayed poison stingers in her direction. She spun around, and raised her coat to block her neck. I couldn't be sure that any had gotten her, but she couldn't see me anymore. I sent Katon wide to my right, ran wide to the left, and said, "Mokuton, drain 'em dry."

Mokuton charged the closest Nosepass, latched onto it, and began to pull its energy away. Roxanne spun to the right to face me, but started to track Katon, so I shot string all over her feet, pinning them in place.

She looked at me, looked down at her feet, and looked back up at me just in time to see my fist connect with her face. She went down, and I stuck her hands to the ground. "It's not cool when someone changes the rules on ya, is it?" I gloated.

She glared at me, but I didn't give her time to retort. "Katon… Grand Fireball."

Roxanne's eyes shot over to Katon, once again only in time to see the blow land. The fireball exploded all around her, bathing her in flame. I turned back to Mokuton just as he dropped the first Nosepass, and started to scamper to the second. From the heart of the flames, came Roxanne's voice. "Thunder Wave."

Nosepass unleashed a wave of blue electricity in all directions, which washed over Mokuton, leaving him incapacitated. Katon and I turned back to the fire, and my stomach felt like it dropped out of me, leaving ice behind.

A shadow stood up in the heart of the fire, and as it stepped out, Roxanne was revealed to be quite fine, stones covering her entire body. The rocks fell away, revealing that she wasn't even sweating. "You surprised me," she said with an arched eyebrow, "and made me very mad. I wonder if you can deal with the consequences of that?"

She kneeled, placed her hands on the ground, and pulled two cubes up with them, just like her Nosepasses. "Let's not act out of anger," I said, holding my hands up in a placating gesture.

Roxanne threw them both at me, and to be fair, I dodged the first one perfectly, but the second one caught my hip in a glancing blow, and when concrete does even that, it really hurts. I spun off to the ground, and cried out in pain.

As I tried to gather my wits, Katon shot off another fireball, but Roxanne was quick to resummon her rocky armor. I rolled over and flung Yin and Yang at her. "Cocoon her!" I shouted and dashed over to Mokuton.

Nosepass had a cube ready, but I kicked it in the arm, so it missed by an inch. I went with my kick into a slide, grabbing Mokuton as I did. I threw my shoulders forward, using momentum to bring myself back to my feet, and grabbed a Cheri berry from my pack.

Mokuton fought through the pain to take a few tentative bites, so I grabbed some shuriken and threw them at Nosepass. All but two of my shuriken ricocheted off, but those two stuck themselves deep in rock.

Nosepass twitched in pain and let out a gravelly scream. As I grabbed more shuriken Mokuton dashed over my shoulder, and pulled the remaining energy out of Nosepass.

We turned to face Roxanne, and she seemed fine for a moment, then she collapsed forward. I threw the rest of my shuriken at her, and Mokuton wasn't far behind, absorbing whatever energy she had left.

She fell to her knees, and looked up at me. "Not bad, for a genin."

"How are you still moving?!" I demanded.

She reached inside her suit coat again, and tossed me this hunk of metal. I picked it up off the ground, and she said, "That's the Stone badge. The ninja have ranks like chunin and jonin, but we trainers have our own. You've got one badge… collect eight and you'll be considered a pokemon master."

I picked up the badge, threw it in my pack, and pointed at her, "You should have been nicer to Wally!"

Roxanne stood up, and arched an eyebrow at me while Mokuton, Yin, and Yang fell off her. "Steven wants to take you guys on missions, but how can he do that in good conscience if he doesn't know what your capabilities are. When all three of you can assure me that you can handle some real shit, and not some amateur genin with no clue, you can begin your missions in earnest."

I wanted to scream at her. I was mad at somebody, but it wasn't her. "Why am I mad?" I asked.

The smile that graced Roxanne's face wasn't malicious, but it was a hard smile, "It hurts to hear that your friends aren't ready for the real world. But hey, that's what he's doing now, right? I force him to take the next step, and I won't apologize for that."

The rage was still there, but I couldn't hold her accountable for it anymore either. "Try to actually teach him something then, next time," I said, and I left.

Naruto caught up to me as I left the school yard. "Okay… so seriously this time, I need a pokemon pronto."

I laughed, "In due time. Patience is a virtue bro."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

AN: another long chapter. It was supposed to be longer, believe it or not…

The next couple of days did not go well for Roxanne. After she cleaned herself up following our battle, she walked home, but right before she went into her door, she was ambushed by May. May trashed the interior of Roxanne's home, causing a panic, and then proceeded to viciously beat Roxanne herself down.

The next day, everywhere Roxanne looked, she saw Wally. Every time she saw him, she would dispel the genjutsu, and scan for his presence, but ultimately she couldn't find him. By the end of the school day Roxanne was nearly out of chakra, and looking a bit paranoid. As all of her students filed out of her classroom, she stayed there for a moment to rest. That was when Wally's efforts began in earnest.

Wally walked into her class, and challenged her to fight. Keep in mind that by this point Roxanne wasn't in the greatest mental state, so she just hurdled her desk and attacked, but despite Wally being right in front of her, she couldn't hit him. It was like he was a ghost, but so great was Roxanne's distress that she kept on trying.

After a minute had passed, someone tapped a single finger on her back. When she turned around, there was Wally, who punched her in the face. Roxanne hit the ground, and blinked the genjutsu out of her eyes.

It was eight in the morning, she had just stepped outside her house for the day, her pokemon were defeated, with each of her nosepass being used like chairs for Gen the ralts, and Tai the Shroomish, and then Wally crouched over her head, whispering, "I want to remind you that my genjutsu is the strongest the Hidden Leaf has ever seen in a genin. Ever. Do I seem ready for missions now?"

Wally took his badge, and left. We met at Old Lady Kanae's and the first thing May shouted when we walked through the door was, "A round of Wallys for the conquering heroes!"

We sat down, glowing with pride at our victories, and totally unprepared for what followed. Four Wallys arrived, and when we looked up Steven-sensei was the person holding the tray. He had a steely glint in his eye and a maniacal grin. "What you three did was outrageous, sneaky, and utterly uncalled for."

We started to sweat, Wally once again went paler than humanly possible, and then Steven-sensei continued, "I loved it. Exactly what ninja need to be, yeah?"

A collective sigh escaped us, and Wally's skin returned to its usual pallor. My head fell against the back of my chair, and I giggled nervously. May gave me a funny look, which made the giggles worse, so I looked away from her, to Wally who was subtly trying to shake his head, upgrading my giggles to a cackle. My head shot over to Steven-sensei and I said, "I –hehehe- I can't – haha!- stop! I'm so scared, cause like I don't know if you're messing with us or not."

He shrugged, "Whatever, just get it under control before we meet by the front gate in an hour. We have a mission, yeah?"

He flickered out of sight, I fought down the nervous cackle, and we enjoyed our Wallys. May summoned Cackle, and started writing on a napkin. "I'll make sure our parents know why we're gone."

She tied the napkin to Cackle's collar, and the pokemon ran out of the restaurant and out of sight. Wally set his empty glass down, "You think we'll be gone for that long, huh?"

"If we're leaving the village," May said, "it's a possibility."

May and I finished our drinks, I left a few crumpled bills behind, and we walked to the front gate. When we got there, Steven-sensei was leaning against the gate, holding Cackle with one hand, and petting him with the other. He set Cackle on the ground, and picked up a rucksack. "Ready to go?" he asked.

We nodded, and he took off at a run, so we followed. We travelled east until we came up on a city. This city had a few towers, one skyscraper, mostly residential buildings, and these beautiful, burgundy and white colored brick streets. Unlike the rest of the Land of Fire, this city didn't have a single pipe or electrical circuit on the outside. "This is Rusburo City," Steven-sensei said, "Home of the Devon Corporation, and where our mission begins in earnest."

In the northwest of the town was the aforementioned skyscraper. As we approached it, May snapped her fingers, and said, "I remember where this reminds me of… any of you ever been to Celadon city?"

"Celadon City?" Wally asked, "Is that outside the Land of Fire?"

"Across the western sea," I answered, "in the Kanto region. I've never been either."

"The bricks are green there instead of brown, but…" she paused, "I get the same vibe from this place, ya'know?"

Steven-sensei stopped in front of the building, took a deep breath, and then entered. "What's eating him?" I whispered as we followed.

Inside, on either side of the entryway, were lines of men and women in business suits that were clearly from the other side of the western sea too. Not many people in the Land of Fire, or any of the great nations, were employed by a corporation. At the end of the procession of sorts, stood a familiar, rotund man. I pointed at him, and said, "Dude from the forest."

The man jiggled with excitement, and ran over to us. He bowed deeply to Steven, and then shook my hand vigorously. "I knew we were going to employ ninja trained by Steven Stone, but I never imagined we would be so lucky as to employ the ninja who drove off that Team Aqua thug!"

"Team Aqua?" Steven-sensei asked me.

I shrugged, and the rotund man remembered Steven-sensei. "Oh, of course… Team Aqua isn't very active in the Land of Fire as of yet… your father will explain everything upstairs."

We were led over to a door that opened up from the middle. When it did, it revealed a very small room with just enough room for us all to stand in together. Steven-sensei walked in, and motioned for us to follow. When all five of us were inside the room, the door closed behind us, and the room began to move up. "An elevator," I said, clicking my tongue, "I hear these can be dangerous."

"Nonsense," the rotund man declared, "This is a Devon elevator. We make only the best of technology or your money back."

When the elevator reached the top, the doors opened, and we filed out. The entire top floor had been converted into an office/exhibit. There was only one, albeit grand, desk on the far side, but to get there you had to walk past an entire museum's worth of rare stones and even a few fossils. May whistled, and then looked over to Steven-sensei, "Your dad owns all this?"

He turned and winked at her, "Well, maybe, but I'm the one who did most of the digging."

Just behind the desk was a man who looked a lot like an older Steven-sensei, wrinkles, and his hair wasn't quite so spikey. He stood up to meet us, and walked around his desk. "Good to see you son, but we've got a situation."

Steven-sensei nodded, and said, "Okay, let's fix it then."

Steven-sensei's dad looked over us quickly, smiled, and said, "You must be the three I've heard so much about. I'm sure you're exactly the ninja that I need. Please call me Mr. Stone."

Mr. Stone didn't wait for us to respond, and motioned for us to step over to his desk, upon which sat a map of the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire. He pointed to the nearby Land of Waves, and said, "Devon recently built its second outpost in the Great Nations here, we're calling this new city Slateport. It's the home of all our nautical technological research, development, and construction. Slateport is ideal because it's outside the Land of Fire, so it can trade with the other great nations without needing any treaties, but it's not so far away that I can't send in friendly ninja to protect our interests."

A hint of pride slipped into Mr. Stone's tone. "We're building a massive trading fleet there that is going to revolutionize this continent before Sliph even knows of its massive potential."

Mr. Stone frowned, and pinched his nose, "But we've hit a significant snag. A local mob boss's grab for power has gone spectacularly well for him. His name is Gato, and he's cut us off from Slateport. We built the city to be self-sustaining, so I'm not worried about it per say, but they need a prototype chakra radar system we developed here to ensure our ships aren't taken by any rogue ninja. Gato won't let us import the prototype without signing all of Devon over to him."

Anger shook Mr. Stone. "Gato. Swine. The people of the land of waves have a man named Tazuna building a bridge which could cripple Gato, but work has stopped recently. Devon won't be able to build another port for at least three years. I need my prototype delivered, and I need that bridge finished. Do you have any questions?"

"You said Gato is a mob boss," Wally whispered, "but you didn't say what kind of thugs he uses. Are they garden variety, ninja, pokemon trainers?"

"Excellent question, Wally," Steven-sensei declared.

Mr. Stone reached into his desk, and pulled out a poster with a familiar stylized "A" on it. "Team Aqua. They were after your Devon Goods, correct? Was that your prototype?"

Mr. Stone nodded, "Team Aqua is a group of radicals from across the sea. They claim they want to use pokemon to reshape the Great Nations to be more hospitable for water pokemon, but as far as we can tell they're just gangsters. They steal money, pokemon, and attack people who don't agree with them, or in some cases, wear the wrong colors."

"Is there another gang in the Land of Waves?" Steven-sensei asked.

"Team Aqua is feuding with Team Magma, another group from over the western sea. They claim to want to use pokemon to make the Great Nations more hospitable to people, instead of pokemon. As far as we can tell their main base of operation is somewhere within the Land of Sound," Mr. Stone responded, "but if Team Aqua sees you in a red hood, they'll assume you're with Team Magma regardless of anything else."

Steven-sensei picked up the logo, looked at us, and said, "I'm sure we can handle whatever they throw at us. Where's the prototype?"

Mr. Stone cleared his throat, and the rotund man carried over a familiar looking suitcase, which he handed to me. "We have the utmost confidence in you," he said as I gripped it.

With that, we left the building, and continued east, towards the Land of Waves. We ran for a long time, but stopped at the beach. Steven-sensei stopped just short of the shore. "I know you three can run up walls and trees… but can you walk on water yet?"

I shook my head. May scratched her head, stuck out her tongue out and said, "No."

Wally on the other hand, just stepped out onto the water. "It's not that hard. It's like solid objects, but you need to adjust your chakra a bit every second."

I stepped out onto the water, and for a second I was okay, then I began to drift down, so I ran forward a bit, and managed to get to the surface again. A wingull chose that moment to swoop by my head and fly away cawing in a way that sounded like laughing. Steven-sensei growled impatiently. "You two can practice on your own time."

He pulled out a pokescroll and summoned Metagross. "Step on," Steven-sensei insisted, "He'll take care of you."

May and I leapt on, and Metagross began to levitate just above the surface of the water. When Steven-sensei and Wally resumed running, Metagross tailed behind them. I gotta say though… that was so much fun. It was a mission, and I was supposed to be serious, but that's the only reason I wasn't whooping for the pure joy of shooting along in _mid-air_.

May on the other hand, did not care for subtlety or secrecy. "Whoooooooooo!"

Half an hour of that later, we reached land, and our run resumed. But where the Land of Fire and the ocean had been beautiful and sunny, the Land of Waves was covered in a thick mist that covered everything, keeping you from seeing anything unless it was a few feet away from you. That, naturally, impeded our progress.

We slowed to a walk, until we heard the sounds of battle. Steven-sensei held up his right fist, and we all stopped. We listened, and heard the battle coming from our right. I focused on the sounds, and heard the words "Believe it!" intermingled with the clash of metal.

I faced the direction of the battle. "I heard Naruto. That's team Kakashi. No doubt about it."

Steven-sensei took off, so we followed, and when he leapt into the trees we mimicked him. Eventually we came upon a clearing, and saw the battle. A mist ninja, judging from his headband, had Kakashi hostage in a sphere of water, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura surrounded an old man in a protective formation.

Steven nudged Wally, and pointed to the old man, "He's probably the person they're guarding. I want you and Gen to make him disappear," he looked to May and I, "I want you two to get the rest of Team Kakashi to a safe distance."

He jumped out, summoned a Skarmory, landed on its back, and began to circle the battlefield. Wally formed the ram hand sign, and his body turned to glitter before the wind seemingly blew him away. I looked to May and asked, "How should we do this? I don't think we should just run in there."

May shrugged, "Imma wait till the old guy disappears and then I'll wing it."

"Uh, failing to plan is planning to fail," I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, "You sound like your dad."

My jaw dropped, "Oh no you didn't sister."

May pointed, "Old man's gone. Let's do this!"

She leapt into the clearing in front of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and declared, "The cavalry has arrived!"

I followed, keeping my eyes on the two jonin. "Next time I get to come up with the plan. This plan sucks."

May pointed behind the three genin and shouted, "Full retreat!"

I rolled my eyes. "You can't be the cavalry _and_ call the retreat! Oh… screw it… Run!"

Sakura stepped forward, "But Brendan, we can't leave Kakashi-sensei behind!"

"That's right!" Naruto declared, "A ninja never abandons his friends! Believe it!"

I didn't want to give Steven away, so I said, "Uhhhhh, trust me…" I said, and wiggled my eyebrows.

"What the fu-" Naruto started to ask, but he stopped and pointed behind May and I, "Who are those guys?"

We turned around, and found four members of Team Aqua standing between us and the jonin. Three were males in identical uniforms and in the middle was a woman in a crop top made around the Team Aqua symbol, long black hair with blue streaks through it, tan skin, and these blue pants that billowed a bit in the breeze like they were underwater. All of it came together with her look of disgust to create the image of a mermaid trapped on land who was not very happy about it.

A wingull flew down and landed on one of the Aqua Grunt's shoulders. That grunt pointed at me, and said, "Admin Shelly, that prototype is in that briefcase."

She pointed at me, and spat, "Grab the briefcase, kill the genin."

I summoned Yin and Yang, turned to May, and said, "Grab the case, and run. Naruto, Sasuke, protect May. Sakura, you're with me."

Sakura stepped up and summoned her pokemon. "I'll keep them at bay. You build Tantrum's echoed voice. Get where I'm going with this?"

The three grunts each summoned a poochyena and a wingull. Flower strutted in front of me and meowed. All of the Poochyenas stopped growling and focused on her. I trapped their feet with silk and turned to the Wingull.

While I had been focused on the Poochyenas, the Wingull had flown up on me, and one managed to get its beak around Yang. I drew three shuriken with the hand that Yin wasn't on, and riddled the Wingull with poison stingers. Tantrum raised its voice.

The other two Wingull dove in so I threw the shuriken to divert them. As they peeled off to the sides, I refocused my aim on the wingull with Yang, and threw my last shuriken at that one. Yang started to fall, so I jumped up and caught him.

As we began to fall, the three wingull regrouped, kept their distance, and shot three streams of water at me. One of the beams caught me on my shoulder, and I spun on the way down. Just before they could fire again, Tantrum shrieked and the sheer force of the sound knocked the poisoned Wingull out of the air, merely interfering with the other's aim.

I did not land well, I rolled with the landing, which helped, but I rolled over a stone, which caused something to crack and pain to flood through my left side. By the grace of some greater power I was on my feet, but when I tried to take a breath I was confronted with such agony that I actually lost more air than I inhaled.

That stone must have broken my rib, and that meant everything from breathing deeply to using my core was a no go. The three grunts began to close on me themselves, but Flower stepped in the way, releasing the poochyenas.

I pulled an oran berry from my pack, cut it in half with a kunai, and slurped up its insides as fast as I could. The pain numbed, and I took a breath. Something wasn't right with the breath, but there wasn't pain, which was good enough in the short term.

"Gonna need you two to come through for me right now," I said, and shot poison stingers at the grunts.

The grunts fell over in pain, and their faces began to swell where I'd shot them. Before I could even begin to feel okay about my situation, teeth closed around my neck, and drove me to the left onto the dirt.

An enraged Poochyena was digging into my throat, and I could see in my periphery the other two were running around Sakura and Tantrum. Was that how I was going to die? By Poochyena? No. Hell no. Rage flowed through me, and into Yin and Yang, powering something amazing.

Yin tackled the Poochyna off me, shot it full of poison, and then began to spin a cocoon around itself. The silk began to glow, and then it turned purple. Yin evolved into Cascoon.

Yang, not to be outdone, began to glow a second after that, and evolved into Silcoon. For a moment everyone was still, watching the evolution take place, but then, silk exploded out in three directions from Yang, grabbing onto the nearby Poochyenas, and pulling them in.

As the Poochyenas got closer, Yang generated more silk, encasing them in miniature cocoons nearby. Yin generated silk which lifted it up off the ground like tentacles, threw itself up above the battlefield, ditched its appendages, and rained poison stingers down on top of Team Aqua's Wingulls.

Yin and Yang sprouted more silk to walk themselves over to me, and crouched over my chest. "Oh, we are so badass!" I exclaimed, and then the pain came back, making me regret it.

Shelly stepped up over me, Flower held aloft by her tail. "Neat tricks. Shame tricks don't work on me. I'm thinkin that your friends didn't actually retreat, and if I torture you a bit, they'll come out with that suitcase."

The mist ninja shouted, "You idiot! Get Tazuna! He's our number one priority!"

Tantrum screamed, knocking Shelly back, and Flower free. "How's that for tricks?" I wheezed.

I sat up just in time to see Steven-sensei swoop down, the briefcase in one of his hands, and order his Skarmory to grab Shelly. Skarmory flew off into the mist, and a few seconds later we heard Shelly scream and something fleshy hit the ground.

The hidden mist ninja snarled a curse, and said, "This is a disaster. Full retreat!"

And so he left and disappeared into the mist, taking the Aqua grunts and pokemon with him. "Gotta give you points for dramatic timing sensei," I groaned, "What kept you?"

Steven-sensei walked over to me, Yin and Yang moved away, and he felt my ribcage. "Broken rib. Easy fix. And I didn't intervene because that was Zabuza Momochi. One of the Hidden Mists most powerful ninja before he went rogue. More dangerous after. I was looking for a way at him that wouldn't compromise Kakashi."

He handed me a branch, "Bite this."

I bit down, and Steven-sensei pushed my rib back into place and I'm fairly certain that if he hadn't handed me that stick I would have bitten my own tongue off. He pulled an oran berry out of my bag and said, "This should actually do something for you now."

Naruto and Sasuke each offered me a hand up, so I took it, and asked, "How's Kakashi?"

Sakura jumped up and down, "Naruto and Sasuke did this cool thing with a fu-ma shuriken."

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu," Sasuke said while rolling his eyes.

"Combined with Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto declared, "We got Zabuza to retreat!"

The wind carried glitter to us, and it collected into Wally. "Tazuna is safe nearby, let's meet up with him, and then we can go from there."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

Team Kakashi and Team Steven met with Tazuna, the old man Team Kakashi had been guarding and the bridge builder Mr. Stone had wanted us to protect, and he took us to his house. There we exchanged stories, and our jonin conferred on what our next step should be. Kakashi set out to teach his team to walk on walls by climbing trees without their hands, which prompted May and I to go try water walking again. Wally came to watch and offer tips while Steven-sensei checked up on his father's assets.

The Land of Waves was comprised of a series of islands that were just far enough from each other that even in low tide they were distinct, but for all intents and purposes, they sea between the islands functioned like canals. The water was freezing cold, providing ample motivation to stay above it, and it had only taken one dunk for me to take my training seriously. After managing to stay above water, May and I started walking up and down the canals.

While May and I were starting to jog, Wally began to almost skate up and down the canals around us, pushing us to run faster. Hours later, night had fallen, and May and I had fallen over on the shore of one of the islands, exhausted. Wally stood watch that night.

The next morning, Sakura came upon us, "Have you guys seen Naruto and Sasuke?"

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and pulled my toothbrush from my pack, "Nope. We'll look around though."

May offered me some toothpaste, which I took advantage of, and after I spat it out, said, "Split up, meet back at Tazuna's in an hour."

I right hand perpendicular to the ground in front of my chest, and then swiped it to full extension at my side, "Scatter!"

May beamed, and took off up one of the canals, Wally mock saluted before taking off the opposite way, and I chuckled to Sakura before heading off into one of the island's forests. I leapt to the tallest tree I could find, closed my eyes, and listened. If the number one loudmouth hyperactive ninja was nearby, I'd hear him. He didn't let me down. About fifty yards ahead and below me I heard him laughing.

I dropped down and jogged over to find he wasn't alone. I couldn't quite tell if this person was a male or female, but this person had long, silky, black hair that hung loose over their shoulders, kind eyes, and wore a pink yukata. Naruto waved me over, and said, "Haku this is Brendan, he's teaching me and my squad to train pokemon! And Brendan, this is Haku, and he has some awesome stuff to say."

Haku's eyebrows climbed his forehead. "You train pokemon, Naruto?"

Naruto kicked the dirt with his right foot behind his left leg. "Brendan hasn't taken me to catch my first pokemon yet."

Haku smiled, and reached into one of his sleves, revealing a pokescroll. "A while ago I went on a… trip, with my special person, the one I mentioned earlier. I caught this pokemon where we stayed. But I don't really play with it much, so why don't you take care of it for me, Naruto?"

Naruto gingerly accepted the scroll, which was orange, bearing a fist logo. Haku smiled, "It's my understanding that it's quite rare. I hope it helps you find and protect your special person Naruto."

And just like that Haku turned and left. Naruto summoned his new pokemon, but I had no idea what species it was. It had the head, and paws of a dog, but it stood up on its hind legs like a person, with blue and black coloring. I pulled out my pokedex and pointed it at this new pokemon. "Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon," I read, "Riolu has the power to see and understand emotions like happiness and anger in aura waves. You can only find this pokemon deep in the Land of Lightning. Why was Haku there?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "He said he took a trip, weren't you listening?"

"You talked to him for longer, right?" I asked, "Do you buy his story?"

Naruto waved my question away, and studied his Riolu's scroll. "What's all this stuff on the inside?"

I motioned for him to sit down, and pointed to the name, "This is where you'll write the name of your pokemon," I moved my finger down to the moves, "These are the moves your pokemon knows," and then I traced over the rest of the scroll. "The rest is a bunch of information about your Riolu, like who caught… her, and what kind of food she likes. You get the idea?"

"She doesn't have a name," Naruto remarked, "I'll name her… kage. Because I'm gonna be hokage, Believe it!"

I shook my head at him, "You know you're a bit of weirdo, right? Not like a bad weird, but you ain't normal pal."

He beamed at me, and Kage flashed me the same grin, "It's my greatness that off puts you like that."

I looked between the two of them, and laughed, "You two are already on the same level. Guess it was meant to be. Let's head back to Tazuna's, though. Sakura's worried."

We got back without issue, and found Kakashi and Steven-sensei in talks again. Steven-sensei met with Wally, May and I afterwards. "I delivered the goods, but in order to complete the bridge we need Tazuna to be protected, and with Zabuza and Team Aqua working together… I'm a bit nervous, so we're gonna toughen up a bit. Let's go meet Brawly."

We left the house and took off down one of the canals. Four islands away, was this large island, dominated by a rock, without any forest around it. We approached it, and Steven-sensei pointed to the entrance. "This is Granite Cave. We'll be doing our training here."

We stepped into the cave, and despite the small entrance, the cave itself was wide open when we entered. The cave had been widened into a chamber by the entrance, but on the opposite side was another "doorway" if you will, leading into pitch blackness. The chamber was about twenty paces long and thirty paces wide, lit by torches, and occupied by a man in black swim trunks, with matching padded fighting gloves and boots. He dyed his hair a vibrant Azure and styled it into backwards facing spikes. He slammed his fists together and shouted, "I'm Brawly and I'll be your instructor on this fine summer morning!"

Steven-sensei waved to us, and said, "I'll leave you guys in Brawly's capable hands. Meet you at the end."

He stepped into the inky blackness beyond, and Wally gulped. I patted his shoulder, "We're in this together. We got this bud."

"It is my understanding that your teamwork is steadily improving, but if Team Aqua separates you with their sheer number of thugs, your individual strength will need to be sufficient to keep each of you alive!" Brawly shouted, "Keeping this goal in mind, today's lesson will be an individual one!"

"Spoke too soon, huh Brendan?" May teased.

"Please cease with your meaningless chatter!" Brawly reprimanded, "I do NOT want to repeat myself!"

We got quiet and Wally shook like a leaf in the wind.

Brawly continued, his tone and volume unchanged, "Granite Cave's unwavering, all consuming blackness will break or strengthen your spirit, it is your decision which of those it will be! Each of you will make your way through the darkness by whatever means you have available! This is a test of your mind and spirit! Am I clear?!"

We all nodded, but Brawly wasn't done. "Granite cave is home to many spirits and pokemon! While you make your way through, one of these pokemon will choose to follow you! After the blackness is a chamber, in this chamber, the pokemon that follows you will challenge you to a battle. If you do not beat it, or capture it, the blackness will swallow you, and your spirit will wander Granite Cave until judgment day! This is a test of your body!"

"Wait…" May said and held up her hand like she was in a classroom, "We could die in there?"

"Perhaps I was not clear!" Brawly declared, "Should you fail, you will wander in the blackness until the world ends, neither alive nor dead! You must be strong of mind, body, and spirit to pass through Granite Cave! You will emerge stronger than before or not at all!"

Brawly paused to let that sink in, and then his tone softened considerably when he asked, "Who will brave the cave first?"

I decided the waiting would be worse than any test, so I strode past him, and into the blackness. Once the light from the torches behind me had faded, I summoned Katon. I couldn't see him, but he rubbed himself against my leg. "Face forward. Ember." I said, and Katon spewed a few flames forward.

The miniature fires created a small circle of light, about three feet wide. Katon leapt up onto my shoulder and shivered. I couldn't blame him. Brawly hadn't been exaggerating when he talked about the blackness. It had weight to it, like it was pressing in on me from all sides. Even with the light of the fire, I still felt it on me a bit.

Katon and I looked around, and saw tiny, shadowy claws reach into our pillar of light, and retract immediately. Tentacle-like structures swayed in and out, curling around things that I could not see and dragging them out of the light. I tapped Katon's head with a single finger. "We're stronger than this."

I stepped over the embers to the edge of the light, and said, "Ember again."

Katon created another pillar of light, and as we stepped into it, the one behind us was swallowed by the void. I silently hoped it was actually still there for Wally and May, but I couldn't be sure, and my anxiety was growing. I needed to go forward, even if it was an inch by inch affair. And that's exactly what happened.

The blackness got heavier, and heavier, and I slowed to a crawl, but I didn't stop. When I stepped into the light again, the heaviness eased a bit, but it didn't go away. I stepped into a small, circular chamber, about ten pace circumference with a low ceiling. There were no holes in the ceiling, or torches, but it was nonetheless well lit.

And as suddenly as the light had appeared, I felt like I was being watched. I turned around, and a silver Beldum was floating behind me. "Hello," I said, and its red eye began to glow with blue energy.

It charged at me, I dove to the ground, and luckily I only felt the wind of its passing over my beanie. "Not cool bro!"

Katon sent a flurry of embers at the Beldum, but the shiny pokemon levitated higher, and then disappeared. "Camouflage…" I whispered, and looked around me.

The room was too small to use the grand fireball technique, because it would eat up all the oxygen, and ember wasn't big enough to catch it. I summoned Yin and Yang, and said, "String shot! Everywhere. Find Beldum!"

Silky tendrils erupted from Yin and Yang in every direction and waved about. Just above my shoulder the threads tangled around something, so I rolled forward, pointed Katon to the tangle, and said, "Ember!"

With Beldum's movement restricted it couldn't dodge, and the embers hit it, betraying a lack of defensive moves. Beldum's silver form came back into the visible spectrum, and it sagged into the silk. I grabbed a pokescroll, opened it, and flicked my wrist. The paper wove itself around Beldum, and dragged it towards me.

It struggled for a moment to break free, but after a few seconds it grew still, and white smoke signaled its capture. The weight of the void fully eased off me, leaving me gasping for breath. I hadn't realized I'd been holding it. I opened the scroll, and pulled out the pen. Beldum used magnetic energy to keep itself aloft, so it only seemed fitting that I named it Jiton, or Magnet style.

I recalled my pokemon to their scrolls, and slipped their scrolls back into the slots on my bag's strap. Behind me was the blackness of Granite cave, so I went into the next room. The final chamber in Granite Cave was built like the amphitheaters of old, with descending staircases and a semicircular shape. But unlike amphitheaters, this room had no stage, opposite of its entry way was a massive mural displaying pokemon I didn't recognize locked in pitched combat.

Steven-sensei stood at the mural's base, staring up at it and stroking his chin. I crept up to him, and asked, "What is this?"

He smiled at me, and said, "An ancient legend. Would you like to hear it?"

I nodded, so Steven-sensei took a deep breath and started his story, "A long time ago, pokemon were not uncommon in the Great Nations, and just as the Great Nations controlled the Tailed Beast spirits, they sought to control the Legendary Pokemon, whom are depicted here. The different shinobi villages caught the legendary pokemon, and entered pitched combat. The Hidden Stone subdued Groudon, the Hidden Mist subdued Kyogre, The Hidden Cloud subdued Rayquaza, The Hidden Sand subdued the Regi Trio and a pokemon that is not depicted known as the Regi-king, and the Hidden Leaf subdued Latios and Latias. The war that followed drove all the wild pokemon away from the Great Nations. The war ended when a figure known only as the Champion, the strongest trainer in the world, wrested the legendary pokemon from the Great Nations and sealed them all away."

I stepped forward to stand next to my sensei. "Which pokemon are which?"

Steven-sensei pointed to three golem looking pokemon, "These are Regirock, Registeel, and Regice. The Regi trio. They could not create continents like other legendary pokemon, but their combined might could shape continents. It is said the Land of Water used to be one island before the Regis got there."

His hand moved up to point at a red and blue duo locked in combat. On the bottom was a blue pokemon, reminiscent of a Leviathan, with red markings. "Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokemon. It raises the sea level by causing torrential downpours, it is almost always depicted fighting Groudon."

Steven-sensei pointed to the red pokemon, a behemoth with blue markings and savage claws, "Which brings me to Groudon, the Continent Pokemon, it lowers the sea level with blazing heat, and is almost always depicted fighting Kyogre."

Then he pointed just above them, where a green dragon with yellow markings floated above them, "Their battles could only ever be stopped by Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon, but in this war, Rayquaza was used not to reassert balance and order, but thrown into the fray as a third party."

Steven-sensei pointed at Rayquaza with both hands, and then pulled his arms apart, pointing to two shooting stars with dragons at their center, "In the end, while the Weather trio was exhausted, they were brought low by the Eon Pokemon: Latios and Latias. They were supposed to prevent the weather trio from awakening, but having failed that duty, swore to end the fighting."

We stared at the mural in silence for a while. "Do you think this is what Team Aqua is after?" I asked.

"If they've heard of these pokemon at all… they've heard the story I just told you," Steven-sensei said, "and nobody would be so stupid as to want to repeat this war."

"I hope you're right," I said, "But Team Aqua seemed pretty stupid to me."

Sensei tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Such cynicism from one so young…" he sighed, "Let's turn our minds from such dark thoughts. What Pokémon did you encounter?"

I summoned Jiton and Steven-sensei's jaw dropped. "A White Beldum!? I searched for years for such a Pokémon and on your first trip through Granite Cave you… wow."

Jiton and I shared a look. I shrugged, and Jiton flipped about around my shoulders. Then I considered his words. "First trip? You're gonna have me do that again!?"

Steven-sensei waved away my concerns. "You weren't in any danger. The Sableye in this cave like to taunt the trainers who enter it. I just wanted to see how you'd react to a life or death situation."

At that moment Wally burst into the amphitheater, holding a dark purple and gray pokescroll aloft. "I caught the Sableye! I did it! I named him Nin! I passed Granite Cave's test!"

Sensei offered him an exuberant thumbs-up. "You weren't in any danger. You passed the life or death simulation!"

Wally's arms fell to his sides, and his jaw dropped. "Dick move sensei."

I ran up to him, and patted him on the back. "It's okay buddy," and then at a whisper, I asked, "Did you find the embers I left for you?"

Wally beamed at me. "Duh, thanks for getting my back."

We shared a laugh, took a seat, and I explained the mural to him. Steven-sensei went back to considering it, and we waited. May didn't have us waiting for long, and she was bursting with pride for her new ally Tiny the Makuhita. Sensei pulled her aside and revealed his illusion, and explained the mural to her too.

Brawly stepped out from the blackness a few minutes later, his entire demeanor changed. Long gone was the Drill Sargent, and in his place was a surfer maniac. "You dudes passed! I, like, totally knew you would!"

He handed us our second badges, and took a picture of our team in front of the mural, which Steven-sensei kept.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

As we turned back, Brawly held up a green torch, and the blackness parted before us on the way out. "What is that?" Wally asked.

Brawly shrugged, "Some magic mumbo jumbo. I don't really get it, so I can't explain it. If you ever meet a, like, happy go lucky island girl named Phoebe, she could probably explain it to ya little dude."

May shrugged, "Why not? Every time I meet a girl on an island named Phoebe, I'll ask her about ghost repellant green fire."

Brawly smiled at her over his shoulder, "Sounds like a wicked awesome quest Betty. Tell Pheebs I said aloha."

May's face screwed up, "My name is May," she reprimanded.

"Betty means chick, unclench." Brawly said with a chuckle, "You gotta chillax with that negativity Betty."

When we reached the opening of the cave, a pug wearing a Hidden Leaf headband was waiting for us. It cleared its throat, and said, "You guys need to get to the bridge pronto! Tazuna is under attack!"

Steven-sensei took off without a word, so we followed. As we neared the bridge, I saw three Aqua grunts waiting for us, so I ran ahead and shouted, "Dibs!"

I summoned Jiton on my approach and felt it reach through our bond to form a psychic connection. I didn't tell it to camouflage, but it knew that was what I wanted it to do, and turned invisible. The grunts summoned a pack of Poochyenas, and I drew two kunai.

The Poochyena trio ran at me, and just before they reached me I jumped up, and as I went through the air, I flipped up, and threw the kunai down using all my strength and momentum to hurl them downwards.

My knives pinned the right foot of the left grunt and the left foot of the right grunt, and Jiton used Zen Head-butt to drive through the middle grunt, knocking him over and dispelling his camouflage. Before the Poochyenas could redirect to go after Jiton, I landed behind the grunts, grabbed their shirts, and savagely slammed their heads together.

The bond between Pokémon and trainer knocked the poochyenas out too. Jiton went invisible, and I resumed my run to the bridge. When I got there, things were already out of control. Kakashi was once again locked in combat with Zabuza, whom was still wielding his massive sword like it was made of balsa wood, Steven-sensei was fighting the Aqua Admin Shelly, and May and Wally were fighting off their own Aqua Grunts.

But what really caught me off guard was a series of ice mirrors floating in a dome formation bearing the image of a masked ninja. As I ran by it, I instantly recognized Naruto, Kage, and Sasuke. In an instant, each of the ninja's reflections threw needles at Naruto and Sasuke, and every single one I saw hit its target. That was a serious jutsu, and not one I was comfortable taking on myself, so I hurried over to May and Wally.

I summoned Mokuton, and focused on Wally's grunt. "We need to help Naruto and Sasuke!" I shouted, and felt the psychic link bleed over to my newly summoned Pokémon, leaving me a bit lightheaded.

Wally shouted something, but I couldn't hear him. The Grunt had a Carvanha and a Goldeen, but Wally had Nin and Tai, his Sableye and Shroomish. It was a decent match up, but it was time to end the battle. Mokuton used absorb on Carvanha, and Jiton crashed into Goldeen with Iron Head.

Carvanha managed to hold on, but Goldeen went down. Mokuton and Jiton circled around it to keep it occupied.

I pushed Wally to the right, and ran straight at the grunt. I held back my right fist to choreograph the punch, and threw my fist in a wide arch. The grunt caught the blow as expected, but he'd forgotten about Wally, who'd circled around his periphery and delivered a knockout blow over my arm and to the grunt's face.

Wally and I turned to May's opponent. They were fighting parallel with the bridge's guard rail, so I jumped over the battle, landing behind the grunt even as Wally ran wide again, and so we cornered the grunt. "Jump off the bridge and we don't hurt you," I announced.

The grunt eyed May, and then leapt over the rail. His Carvanha wasn't far behind. I pointed to the ice mirrors, and said, "Naruto and Sasuke are in there. We need to help them. They won't last much longer."

May cracked her knuckles, and shouted, "The Cavalry is on its way!"

A man in blue flickered into sight, and said, "Not so fast, scamps!"

He wore the traditional Team Aqua bandana, but his shirt was blue, and unbuttoned, revealing a muscular, hairy chest, his pants were tight like a wetsuit, revealing that he was a big believer in "leg-day," he had this fishing net thing going on with what I assumed were coat tails hanging out behind him, and he wore this gaudy gold chain with a giant golden anchor, inlaid with a strange jewel, hanging from it. His skin was tan, and his beard was well groomed, reaching up over his lips but stopping before the two sides could come together into a mustache. "The name's Archie, and I'm Team Aqua's big boss! You three scamps are far too much of a nuisance even as children. Better to nip this rose in the bud."

He revealed a pokescroll, and summoned a Sharpedo that exuded a strange pressure. "That Pokémon is very strong," May whispered, "We can't take this guy."

"Protect the genin!" Kakashi shouted.

I felt Steven-sensei's charka flare behind me, then it latched onto me, May, and Wally, dragging us away. In an instant we found ourselves in front of battle worn Shelly, and when I looked back, Steven-sensei was staring down Archie with his Metagross at his side. I had questions, and a fight, so I prioritized the fight.

May and I were on opposite sides of Wally, so we locked eyes, and strafed out, surrounding Shelly. It's just a great strategy. Not many people can block kunai coming from three directions. All three of us drew shuriken, and threw them at Shelly, but Shelly turned into water, and collapsed into a puddle. "Water clone!" Kakashi supplied, "Popular technique around here!"

Wally formed the Ram hand sign, and disappeared into the mist. May and I ran towards each other, and then went back to back. "I can't see her," May groaned.

I summoned Yin and Yang, and Jiton's link spread to them too. I recalled Mokuton, and my cocoon Pokémon searched for Shelly the same way they'd searched for Jiton. The silk passed by us, and tangled around something just in front of May, and something off to my right. "Let go of Wally," I said, and the silk fell off the thing to my right like so much soggy spaghetti.

"What's going on?" May demanded, "Your moves aren't making sense. You need to talk to us Brendan!"

"New Pokémon made a link between me and my Pokémon," I said, "Whomever that person in front of you is, it isn't Wally."

May punched it, and her chakra pushed the mist away, revealing Shelly, gagged and bound in silk that restricted her movement, but we could see her eyes glaring at us with hate, and she was holding a cutlass that was inches from May's throat. Not to be deterred by a simple pointy object, May dipped under it, got close and started giving Shelly serious body blows.

Wally reappeared behind Shelly, and ripped his kunai through Shelly's hamstring. If the Aqua admin hadn't been gagged, I'm certain she would have screamed. Just when things started to look up, a horrible chakra ran over the battlefield, chilling my bones, and sending all the Pokémon on the battlefield into a panic.

Jiton began to slam himself into the bridge below, heedless of the damage he did to himself, so I recalled him to his pokescroll. Then I saw Yang had Yin held aloft in the air by silk, and Yin was pouring poison stings into his aggressor. There was no time to see what had started the fight, so I recalled them both.

I turned to see May and Tiny grappling with each other for a hold, so I put one of my boots into Tiny's stomach. Tiny let got to grab me, and May managed to get his pokescroll. "What's goin on?"

"Do you not feel that chakra?" I asked.

My pointed over my shoulder and screeched, "Wally!"

I spun around to see Tai on Wally's face, pushing a Stun Spore attack down his mouth. Wally fell over, wracked with spasms and pain, while Sableye crept off. I dove for Wally's pokescrolls and recalled his Pokémon.

A roar came from the opposite side of the bridge, and I turned to see it came from the ice mirror dome. "It's coming from that jutsu!" I shouted, "We need to end it!"

The mirror closest to me shattered, the masked ninja appeared from its shards, and Naruto wasn't far behind, delivering a blow to the masked ninja's face. Naruto had claws, elongated teeth, and his eyes were blood red. Kage, next to him, shared those strange traits. "The chakra's coming from Naruto." I gasped, "What is he?"

"He's winning," May snapped, "Go help him and I'll take care of Wally."

I nodded, but I couldn't bring myself to approach that evil chakra. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. Naruto was staring at the ninja he's been fighting, back to normal. Blue and pink light by Steven-sensei called my attention away from him though.

Archie was brandishing his anchor, the stone inset in it glowing blue, and Steven-sensei was holding a pink stone aloft that was glowing its own light. Beige spheres encased Sharpedo and Metagross for a moment, and then the spheres exploded out, revealing very different Pokémon. "Did… did they evolve?" I asked.

"Sharpedo and Metagross _can't_ evolve anymore," May gaped, "That's something beyond evolution."

Metagross suddenly had eight legs, four gigantic ones pointing forward, and four slightly smaller ones pointing backwards. Sharpedo usually only had one yellow "x" marking on its back, but now it was covered in them, and all sorts of spikes stuck out at every angle.

Sharpedo dashed through the mist like it was water at Metagross, but Metagross waited until the other Pokémon was just inside its reach, and countered with a punch from one of its massive claws. Sharpedo tried to redirect away from Metagross, but before it could actually move, Metagross grabbed it with another one of his arms, and drove it into the concrete below.

Archie withdrew his Pokémon, and muttered, "Another person capable of Mega-Evolution… in the boonies?" he shook his head, "Gotta get out of here."

He flickered over to Shelly, threw her over his shoulder, and disappeared. Metagross withdrew into his scroll, and Steven-sensei collapsed. I ran over to him to do I didn't know what, and Naruto sprinted past me in the other direction, with angry eyes.

Sensei waved me away, so I whirled around to track Naruto. He was in Zabuza's face, screaming at him. I blinked and reassessed the fight that had been taking place. Zabuza's arms were covered in bite marks, and a kunai stuck out of each of his shoulders, which had caused enough damage that he'd dropped his crazy sword. Just in front of him was the formerly masked ninja, with Kakashi's hand through his chest.

I ran over just in time to hear Naruto shout, "You were his special person! Don't you dare talk about him like… like he was just a _thing_!"

"You don't know a damn thing about this world, or being a ninja!" Zabuza retorted, "Don't judge me."

Clapping stopped the conversation short. Everybody turned to see none other than Gato, with an army of thugs behind him, had snuck up on us. "Team Aqua I expected to run, Devon got their goods from Rustburo, after all, and you, Zabuza, I expected to stay. Everything has gone according to plan."

"What does he mean?" May asked, and strokes Wally's head as he ate a Cheri berry.

"Good question, little girl," Gato said, "See, I can't afford to hire official ninja to do my dirty work, so I hire missing nin, like Zabuza over there, and then, when those missing nin are injured, and have injured any forces trying to stop me… I clean shop. Nobody ever asks any questions."

"Clean shop?" Naruto asked.

"He's going to send his garden variety thugs to kill us now that we're tired, Naruto," I explained.

"I'm not going to die here!" he exclaimed, "I'm going to be hokage! Believe it!"

"Got no reason to fight you anymore Kakashi," Zabuza said, "It wasn't personal anyway."

Kakashi took a few steps back from Gato's horde. "What are you saying?"

May moved Wally over behind Kakashi, and I followed. On the way over I saw the masked ninja's face. "Haku?" I asked.

Of course, he was already dead, holes in the chest do that to you, and maybe I really was _that_ lightheaded, but for a moment I expected him to respond. Two and two came together. "Why would Haku give a damn about a bastard like you?" I demanded.

Zabuza eyed me. "Gato used me. I used Haku. It's what we do in this ninja world. Wrap your mind around the simple brutality of it, and you'll live longer."

"Bullshit," I insisted.

"Do you… do you really feel nothing?!" Naruto demanded, "When I become strong, will I become like you?! Because… Haku loved you! And – and to die a tool would just be too sad for someone as great as he was."

"Shut your mouth!" Zabuza reprimanded, tears forming at the edges of his eyes, "Haku didn't just fight for me! You think he spared the Uchiha brat for me?! No. Deep down he was a softie… and he made me soft."

We were all quiet for a moment. "Lend me your kunai, kid?" Zabuza asked, nodding his chin at Naruto.

Naruto tossed his kunai up, and Zabuza caught it in his teeth. Zabuza rushed the slowly encroaching horde of thugs, and waded into them, leaving a river of corpses behind him. And sure, the thugs speared him, stabbed him, and a few threw torches at him, but for all intents and purposes they fought a wave, crashing into the shore. They slowed him down, but could not hope to stop him. Gato never stood a chance.

I picked up his sword, and dove into the fray after him. None of the thugs dared to approach a ninja with a sword as wickedly sharp as this one. "Run. Run far away!" I bellowed.

Zabuza hadn't been a friend, or anything close to that, but he'd shown some moral growth, and that was worth my respect. As Zabuza collapsed from his wounds, I spun the sword over his head, daring any to come near him. May and Wally appeared at my sides, and Wally formed the handsign of the rooster.

Zabuza appeared to rise, the weapons fell through his skin like he was a ghost, and he roared at them. The thugs lost their spines, and turned tail. When they were all off the bridge, the illusion fell, but Zabuza was standing.

He stepped up to me, and grabbed my face. I panicked, and let him. He glared into my eyes for a moment, and then smiled. "Your eyes… remind me of my own. A long time ago."

The maniacal glint in his eyes betrayed a bloodlust I was not prepared for. "I doubt that."

One of his ruined hands tapped my chest. "I can see the rage you got in there. I _know_ that rage."

He tapped the hilt of his sword, and said, "There's gonna come a day when you're gonna want to use that sword. When you just wanna kill. On that day…" he dropped his hand from my face and pulled a scroll from the back of his belt, "you'll want to be familiar with this… instruction guide."

Blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth, and he fell towards me, so I caught him. "Now that I've named my successor… could you take me to Haku? I want to see him one more time before I get dragged down into the fiery pit."

I slipped him over my shoulder fireman's style, grabbed the scroll with my free hand, and carried him back to the other end of the bridge. When I set him down, he flashed me a smile, and looked over to Haku before he finally expired.

When it came time to bury them, Kakashi asked me to leave the sword at the grave, but I shook my head, "He gave it to me."

I opened the scroll, and found an empty seal for the sword therein. I stuffed the scroll away, and we returned to the land of fire, each of us a little different, mostly for the better, but the scroll and Zabuza's words stuck with me the entire way.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

When we returned home, I stuck Zabuza's scroll into my desk, and rigged it with explosive tags unless opened with my chakra signature. The next couple days we were allowed to rest from all duties with the exception of maintaining the berry grove. Even though it was Wally's day the next day, all of us showed up and helped. We didn't talk about anything. There had been a lot of ways that mission could have gone south, but by the skin of our teeth and sheer audacity, we'd made it. It was good to just be around your friends.

Afterwards, when we went to Old Lady Kanae's, Sasuke Uchiha was waiting for us just outside, leaning against a pillar. "I heard you three like to come by here in the morning," he said, "Brendan, you and I need to talk."

"Let's talk over iced tea," I insisted, and stepped past him, "Do you like lemonade?"

He shook his head, "No, look, I'd rather we just talked."

We took a seat at our usual table, and May gestured for Wally to sit down. "One iced tea and three Wallys!" I shouted, and Sasuke and Wally both winced, one with rage, and the other with annoyance.

"Seriously guys?" Wally pleaded, "Can you not? Please? For me?"

"We could call them something random like…" May paused, "Arnold Palmers?"

"But that would be ridiculous." I interjected.

May nodded, "True. I shouldn't have even said anything."

The drinks arrived, and I took a sip of mine. "Cruel of you to even bring up the possibility."

We shared a laugh at Wally's expense, and then I turned to Sasuke, who took a sip of his tea. "What's up man? Shouldn't you be in the hospital? You were, like, dead yesterday."

"Haku was very skilled," he responded, "the wounds were very small, and after a trip to the doctor's they're all taken care of."

A shiver ran down my spine, "That was a rough bit. Sorry it went like that."

Sasuke shrugged, "It's all a part of getting stronger. Speaking of which, you and I need to find me a Pokémon. A strong one."

"All Pokémon can grow and become strong," I insisted, "That doesn't help me narrow down what you're looking for."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. "I need something that is already strong when I find it, and will grow to be stronger than any other Pokémon."

"A pseudo-legendary," Wally supplied, "Those are one in a million."

"I'm a one in a million kind of guy," Sasuke retorted. "Where can we find a Pseudo-legendary Pokémon?"

"Actually, I know a place that has a Pokémon exactly like you're looking for," May said, "Shikamaru and I were planning on going later today. Meteor Falls. You two could come along with us."

I held up my glass and Sasuke clinked it. "We're in," I said and took a pull.

May threw a few crumpled bills on the table, and said, "Well then, let's go pick up Shikamaru. See you for practice tomorrow Wally?"

Wally rubbed his arms and moaned, "I can feel bruises forming in anticipation."

We went from Kanae's to the Nara compound. When we knocked on the door, none other than Shikaku Nara. Here for Shikamaru? Good. Get him out of his room and teach him something."

Shikaku disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared dragging Shikamaru by the jacket. "Get moving," the Nara clan head demanded.

Shikamaru dusted himself off, sighed, and said, "I had just fallen asleep… what a drag."

I rolled my eyes, patted his back, "We didn't say you couldn't do that… we just have some stuff to do _before_ that."

Our group of four completed, we ran north, out of the village, and then went north west for a few hours. As we travelled, the forest began to clear away, turning to grass, but soon that too seemingly melted away in front of our eyes. Bare rock was all we could see leading up to a hilly area, and then craters in all over the place.

May stopped, "About fifty years ago, a really bad meteor shower hit what used to be a giant hill here. These rocks you see, and the cave network below them are all that's left. Rare Pokémon have made their home in the caves. Let's go."

After looking around for a moment, May ran over to a stream, and followed it towards the rocks. Sure enough, the stream lead to a narrow cave entrance, so one at a time, we slipped inside. It was a tight squeeze for a about twenty feet, but then it opened up into a massive cavern, with a giant underground lake, fed by three streams like the one we'd followed, and the northern section of the cavern had these giant natural steps carved into the side by what I thought would be water, but the streams didn't touch it.

I followed the steps up with my finger, and found a small gap in the cavern wall at the top. "Bet you 500 ryu that we can find your pseudo legendary in that mini-cave."

I summoned Katon, and we set off to go up the steps, and we ended up running over the water to get there. Katon leapt onto my shoulder, and for a moment everything was fine. Then a spout of water caught me on the chin, knocking me off balance and into the water.

I thrashed about for a moment, and then swam to the top. I pushed my chakra into my hands and pushed myself back up to the surface. Katon was shivering, and soaked, so I recalled him to his scroll, and summoned Mokuton.

Mokuton eyed my feet, and then mimicked me seamlessly. He stood on top of the water, and stared down, like a child might stare through the window of a toy store. He pulled one of his paws back, pulling green energy with it. "There's a Pokémon down there!" I exclaimed.

A rock, about the size of my head flew out from the deepest part of the water, nearly missing my shoulder. "It's angry!" I exclaimed, and Sasuke and I separated so as to not provide a wealth of clustered targets.

"Should we go down there?" Sasuke asked.

"It's probably a water Pokémon," I fixed my beanie, "That'd be like a mouse walking into a cat store."

Mokuton hissed, and drew more green energy. Two rocks followed, each a little bit smaller than the last. I grabbed two shuriken and handed them to Mokuton, who threw them down. Something was moving down there in the sand, but I couldn't see just what, or how big it was.

Sasuke grabbed a kunai, attached an exploding tag, and threw it down. When the kunai touched the sand, there was no fire, but the force of the explosion sent the sand billowing in every direction, and a small blue Pokémon to the surface.

It was about the size of Mokuton, but blue, four legs, a tail fin, a dorsal fin on its head, and pointed, orange gills. "A Mudkip!" I exclaimed, "Dibs!"

Mokuton jumped, flipped through the air, and brought its tail to bear against Mudkip's head. Before the water Pokémon could return to its hiding spot, however, Mokuton swam below it, and kicked it back up above the water's surface.

I grabbed my pokescroll and unleashed it. Mudkip fought for a moment, but was captured. "So that's how you capture a Pokémon…" Sasuke mused, "It doesn't look that hard."

I nodded my head towards the steps, so we ran over to them, but where Sasuke ran up a few steps, I took a seat, and opened my new scroll. "Hey! C'mere so I can show you how these work."

He reluctantly turned around, and I showed him all the information the scrolls contained. As he stood up I named my new Pokémon Suiton, and then raced up the stairs.

The opening led to a small chamber, no more than twenty by twenty paces large, with support pillars in the corners, holding up a low ceiling. What immediately caught my eye was on the far side of the chamber, chiseled in stone, was the same crest that appeared on the back of Sasuke's shirt. I walked towards it, and touched it. The carving's edges were worn, so it was not a new addition to the chamber, but I couldn't tell just how old it was.

When I turned around, Sasuke's eyes had turned red, and bore a strange design with two dots. That had to be the legendary Sharingan, but more interesting was that his eyes darted from left to right like they were reading something, but all I saw was a wall with a carving in it.

He walked by me like I wasn't even there, and touched the crest with his hand. The entire cavern rumbled, and I asked, "You, uh, want to give me an update on what I can't see here?"

Before he could respond, a growl sounded behind me. Between us and the exit was a petit Dragon Pokémon with a large head. After a moment I recognized it, "Bagon, the Rock Head Pokémon. There's your Pseudo legendary."

I pointed at it, and said, "Absorb."

Mokuton did his usual motion, but barely any energy escaped Bagon. "Crap. Grass moves don't really hurt Dragons."

Sasuke flew through some hand signs, and spat a series of small fireballs, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The fireballs glanced off Bagon, whom if anything, looked more annoyed than threatened. "Fire style against a _dragon_ … really dude? Aren't you supposed to be like the _best_ of your year?"

"I don't know Pokémon, that's your job!" Sasuke accused.

"Fire… against a DRAGON?!" I retorted.

Bagon snarled, regaining our attention, and spewed blue dragon-fireballs like the ones Sasuke had spat at him, but unlike Sasuke's jutsu, these ones could hurt us. I rolled to the side, tossed Sasuke my last pokescroll, and shouted, "Wait for the right moment, I have to weaken it!"

"Keep him busy!" I shouted to Mokuton and grabbed Shuriken.

Bagon was shooting dragon-fire every which way, but Mokuton was two steps ahead of him at every turn anyway. I slipped some of my wire through the holes in my shuriken and threw them wide to each side of Bagon.

Just after the shuriken traveled past him, I yanked on the wire, pulling sending the shuriken around Bagon, where they caught themselves on its scales like anchors. I grabbed the wire, and pulled it up and over my head, dragging Bagon with it.

Bagon glanced into the roof, but really took a hit on the floor behind me, where his head shattered the floor. "Is it weakened yet?" Sasuke asked.

Bagon twisted, snapped its jaws shut around the wire, and set them on fire, so I let go. "That would be a no."

I summoned Yin and Yang, and said, "Restrain the Dragon."

Tendrils of silk reached out, and wove around Bagon, but those too caught fire. "Poison the dragon." I tried.

A few poison stingers found their way into Bagon's scales, and for the first time, it slowed down. It began to swell, and turn purple. It shrieked in pain, and I shouted, "Now, Sasuke!"

Sasuke used the pokescroll, and I recalled my Pokémon. The room was silent, but the anxiety was real. When the scroll let out a billowing cloud of white smoke, I sighed my relief. "Good stuff Sasuke."

Sasuke stared down at Bagon's scroll, and whispered, "I'll name him Avenger."

"Whoo," I said, deadpan with sarcastic jazz hands, "Now, let's got see how Shikamaru is doing."

We exited the chamber, just in time to see Rook, Shikamaru's Seedot, become enveloped in light and evolve into Nuzleaf. Shikamaru pointed to a floating rock that looked like a drawing of the sun, a species of Pokémon called Solrock, and shouted, "Seed Bullet!"

Five barrages of seeds glowing with chakra slammed into the Solrock, pushing it back. Shikamaru unleashed a pokescroll, and caught the Pokémon. Immediately after, Shikamaru collapsed backwards and declared, "That was such a drag."

May squealed with joy, grabbed Shikamaru, and began to shake him with excitement. "You caught _two_ Pokémon all by yourself! I'm so proud of you!"

May continued to shake poor Shikamaru, and I saw his shoulders sag, and his eyes go all white. "May!" I reprimanded, "You're hurting him ya brute!"

Sasuke and I headed over, just in time to hear Shikamaru mutter, "All the strength of Chouji and all of Ino's energy. It's not fair."

"Did you find Bagon?" May asked.

Sasuke brandished his scroll, and May jumped for joy. "Say, Sasuke… do you know a Zinnia Uchiha?"

Sasuke flinched, "Why?"

May intertwined her fingers behind her head, "She's the one who showed me this place! Something about how the Uchiha clan used to raise lots of Bagon. She's special to me, but I haven't seen her in, like, forever!"

"There are only two Uchiha left, and Zinnia isn't one of us." Sasuke answered, "The rest have been dead for six years. I'm sorry."

May looked more confused than upset. "Oh. Well then, I'm glad I got to show you this place anyway."

On the way out of the cave, May pulled me aside. "What was Sasuke talking about?" she asked.

"You don't know?" I whispered, "my mom said that one of the Uchiha went crazy and wiped out everybody in his entire clan but his brother. Itachi only spared Sasuke six years ago."

"I met Zinnia two years ago," May insisted, "She was an Uchiha."

I arched an eyebrow at her, "How do you know?"

May blushed and was quiet for a moment, then she said, "She was special to me. I saw her Sharingan. There are no two ways about it. She wasn't massacred, but she was an Uchiha."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11

A few days after the excursion to Meteor Falls, I was woken up by tapping on my bedroom's window. I blearily sat up, and came face to face with a Skarmory. In a frenzied effort to get away from the giant steel bird I ended up throwing myself off my bed and eating carpet. I turned around, pointed at it, and shouted, "Not cool!"

Then I noticed a piece of paper held in its beak, so I opened my window and it contemptuously spat the paper at me before flying away. Steven-sensei wrote: "Report with all due haste to the Hokage building. We have a mission. – Steven Stone"

I got dressed as fast as I could, pulled emptied my closet of kunai that I shoved into my backpack, and ran outside. It was raining, and I decided slipping on roof tiles wouldn't be a great way to die, so I took advantage of the empty streets. As I reached the hokage building, so did Kiba Inuzuka. I held the gate open, and he ran by to hold the front door open for me.

We both took a moment to take stock once we were indoors again. "Kiba, right?" I asked.

He nodded, smiled wolfishly, and said, "And you're Brendan, Wally's teammate."

I started walking down the hallway, but faced him, "What gave me away?"

Kiba caught up, so I faced forward, and he said, "Wally's always saying that you're a badass. If Wally says you're good, you must be. I hear you're working with Team 7. How's that going?"

"They're powerful," I said, "and interesting."

Kiba's jaw dropped. "Powerful? Naruto?"

I widened my eyes, and smiled ruefully. "He's an idiot, but he's got more chakra than his team and mine combined. What's scary is that he's getting good at using it now."

Kiba's eyebrows climbed his forehead. "I'll believe it when I see it pal. But more to the point, I was hoping me and my Pokémon could spar with you and yours. Not that Wally's not doing his job, but I'm lookin' for a more active instructor."

I clapped him on the back. "I'll try to work you into my busy schedule, but for now, my team has an urgent mission or something."

I got another wolfish smile, "As does mine. Bet we get done before you do."

Chunin on either side of the door opened it so Kiba and I walked in together. Steven-sensei and Kurenai were talking to the hokage off to the side, and Wally and Shino were waiting together on the opposite side of the room. Shino saw us first, and waved us over. "Our teams will be going on a joint mission together," he said, his voice was surprisingly raspy for one so young.

"What could possibly be so big that we can't handle it alone?" Kiba asked.

"A B rank level mission," Wally answered, "the Devon Research institute in Slateport City received a threat from Team Aqua. The hokage wants to send teams that are trained and experienced with Pokémon to guard the facilities. Team Kakashi is still in training exercises with its Pokémon, and Team Asuma doesn't have three genin with Pokémon."

"Shit," I whispered, "Team Aqua again?"

"You guys have run into these people before?" Shino asked.

"On our last mission," I nodded, "They're mostly thugs with Pokémon, but some of them have trained in the ninja arts. Their admins are jonin level and wield mysterious powers."

"We came out mostly unscathed," Wally explained, "but I doubt Team Kakashi is ready for another bout so soon," then to me, "Team Kurenai specializes in sensory tactics. If there's anybody who we want with us when walking into an ambush, it's them."

At that moment May and Hinata came in. May had her arm around Hinata's shoulder, and was laughing gregariously, where Hinata looked like she wanted to fold into herself and disappear. "May!" Wally admonished, "Hinata's shy. She isn't ready for you to just grab her!"

"It- it's okay," Hinata stuttered, "We're friends now, right May?"

May beamed at us, "Totes guuurl."

Hinata smiled faintly, unsure if she enjoyed May's enthusiasm or not. Regardless, that was when Steven-sensei waved us over. "Wally fill you guys in?" he asked.

"Team Aqua is threatening Slateport," I responded, "Team Kurenai is going to help us take them down."

Kurenai nodded, so we took off. We didn't bother to stop by Rusburo, so it didn't take us long to reach the coast. When we reached the beach, Steven-sensei summoned Metagross, and Kiba, Shino, and Hinata rode on its back while the rest of us ran.

During the crossing I told Wally about Meteor Falls, and he updated me on his work with these genin. Kiba's family worked with ninken, or ninja dogs, so Wally helped Kiba add two Poochyena to his "pack," named Blue and Cadmium, and Kiba was able to teach them the rest on his own. Shino Aburame worked with ninja bugs, so he was paired with a Nincada, named Drone, and Hinata Hyuuga, bearer of the Byakugan and a gentle fist user, was training a Ralts, named Lady, to put up barriers and use its psychic abilities to locate chakra nodes.

I thought of Sakura's lackluster ability to command her Pokémon, Naruto's general thick-headedness, and Sasuke's poor attitude, and I must confess I was a bit jealous. Team Kurenai were Pokémon naturals.

When we reached the Land of Waves, we didn't stop, but used the canals to cut across to Slateport, on the far island. Credit where credit is due: Slateport was magnificent. Where most of the Land of Waves lived in meager huts, Devon had poured massive resources into building a modern city. The roads were paved, a wide open section had been devoted to a bazaar of sorts, where people from all over the Land of Waves sold their wares, and all manner of buildings were in the midst of being finished; from homes, to dry docks, and even a few restaurants.

Most impressive, however, was the Oceanic Museum, a six story building dedicated to the research and communication of science. That is where Steven-sensei led us to. Inside were a pair of receptionists. They bowed, and in total synchronization, said, "Welcome to the Oceanic Museum. Usually, this where guests pay a minimal fee to enjoy our fantastic facilities and informative exhibits, but given that you are providing services for us, these fees have been waved. Captain Stern, head of Devon's Slateport Branch, is waiting for you upstairs."

Steven-sensei walked by, so we followed. The museum looked a lot like an aquarium, with glass containers of water everywhere, but there were no fish. Instead, each container of water was showing some different trait of water itself, physically, or chemically. I got the feeling it would be a very interesting museum to maybe three very specific people, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on much that I was walking by.

Upstairs were various models of famous or futuristic ships undergoing various stress tests. A video screen even showed a simulation of the famous sinking of the SS. Anne. Again, not much there of interest to a Pokémon trainer ninja. A man in glasses with a jovial expression, and a lab coat was waiting for us. "Steven!" he exclaimed, "Good to see you again so soon! The prototype has been put to use, and we're already incorporating its design to our ships."

Steven-sensei shook his hand, and then stood next to him, "Alright guys, this is Captain Stern," he explained, "and he's gonna fill us in on the specifics of Team Aqua's threat."

Stern nodded. "At this facility we do a lot of cutting edge research into seafaring, and Team Aqua wants our findings. We're in the theory stage of creating a boat that can travel _underwater_. We call it a submarine, and we think Team Aqua wants the plans to steal our plans. In addition, the prototype I mentioned earlier, we think they're still after that too."

Captain Stern pointed to a staircase leading up. "The Top four floors are off limits to the public, as they are our Research and Development floors. There are things in there that Team Aqua could make very dangerous, so to put it simply, Team Aqua cannot be permitted to reach any of the floors."

I raised my hand, "Which floor do you keep the sub plans and the prototype on?"

Stern closed his eyes for a moment and counted on his fingers, "Floor five and six, respectively. As our biggest projects, they each get their own floor."

"Could we move the prototype to floor four?" I asked. "Put a buffer between a potential infiltration from the roof and one of our key objectives?"

Kurenai gave me a surprised look, "An enlightened idea. Well done Brendan."

"I'll do that now," Captain Stern said, shook Steven-sensei and Kurenai's hands, and left for upstairs.

Steven-sensei gave me a high-five, "You just love to make me look good, yeah? Just to satisfy a little wager I have with my fellow sensei, Brendan, how would you run this mission?"

"Hinata and Wally on the bottom floor. Hinata's byakugan could see any Aqua Grunts whether or not they come through the doors, and warn us which direction they're coming from. Wally's genjutsu gives him the ability to set up trap zones, distract or disable some of the Grunts before they're really a problem," I said, paused "Shino on the third floor, have his bugs run signals to each other. May would wait on the same floor and go to wherever Team Aqua comes at first. You and Kurenai on either floor four or five, the last line of defense from any angle."

I looked over to Kiba, and said, "Kiba and I on the roof. I'd set up traps on the sixth floor, Kiba would be an early warning system just in case the bottom floors are swamped, and if any grunts came at the top floor, we'd retreat to the sixth floor and hold the line. We make Team Aqua pay for any plan they make, and any inch they try to take from us."

Steven-sensei turned to face Kurenai and held out an open palm, "Pay me."

"You told me he was smart," Kurenai said, dropping a few coins into his hand while giving me an appraising look, "you didn't tell me he was ruthless."

Steven-sensei pocketed the change, and smiled at us. "Team Aqua dropped off their threat in the form of a note. Every other time they've done this, they've stuck to the note, so we have no reason to suspect they will do anything other than follow up on it. Expect them tomorrow at noon. Floor three has been converted into a sleeping area for you. Get up early, eat, get ready, clear?"

I hadn't noticed it until that moment, but I could see the sun setting through the windows, and my eyelids were feeling heavy after all the running. I set up my sleeping bag, and crashed. Sunlight drifted through tinted windows to wake me the next day, so I used a nearby chemical wash area to brush my teeth, used the clean room to shower, and dressed. When I emerged, Hinata dipped past me to use the facilities, and I saw that May was using a Bunsen burner to warm up a can of beans. I started cooking rice over three such burners, and we mixed our ingredients together for breakfast. Once I'd eaten, I went upstairs and Kiba wasn't far behind.

The sixth floor had been cleaned out of all electronics, but still had tables, gas outlets, water faucets, and beakers everywhere. "Good," I said, "Let's make it look like people are working here."

Kiba snapped his fingers. "Akamaru, Blue, and Cadmium can use transformation jutsu, usually to mimic me for our signature techniques, but they could look like Stern instead."

I nodded, "Have two of them do that, and one with us on the roof."

Akamaru woofed, and Kiba released his Pokémon. "When you hear Akamaru bark twice, transform, okay?"

His Poochyenas dipped their heads and did their trademark cackle. I released Yin and Yang. I upended two trashcans, and faced them towards the stairs that led to the roof. "When people come down, wait until they're close, and then go nuts."

The two cocoon Pokémon crawled inside their respective trashcans, so I released Jiton. He formed our psychic link, and I said, "Jiton here can form a psychic link between me and my pokeon," I tapped his head affectionately, "So if I'm quiet and all hell is breaking loose, don't panic, I'm doing my thing."

Kiba nodded, and I sent Jiton up into a corner to camouflage and wait for Team Aqua to try to run the gauntlet by sheer numbers. My last three Pokémon I kept in my scrolls to use as needed, and keep secret should an Aqua admin come in this way. I turned to Kiba and smiled, "I think we're ready."

Kiba pulled some explosive tags out of his sweater, and said, "I'll add a couple surprises to all the, uh, paperwork, lying around."

"I like the way you brain," I cooed.

We went up the roof, and we waited for a long time. At 12:01 a group of beetles filtered through an air vent and formed a downward facing arrow. "Showtime," I said, and hid some shuriken in the lip of my beanie.

Akamaru barked twice, and Kiba began to pace. A minute after that, Kiba stopped, and said, "We've got company."

I pulled out two kunai, and looked over the nearest side of the building. "No," Kiba said, "From above."

I looked up, but saw nothing, so I turned to Kiba. He was pointing off the opposite side, and there were a flock six of Pelliper, each one carrying an Aqua Grunt. I took aim at the closest Pelliper, and threw my first kunai plain, and the second one in its shadow.

Neither kunai hit the Pelliper, but they came close enough to startle it, so it dropped its cargo into the ocean water below. I tried not to think of the screams as belonging to another person. The splash put my mind at ease a little, but even with that I knew the guy's body would be beaten and broken beyond an easy recovery.

But I got what I wanted, and the Pelliper broke formation to encircle us. "Act scared, retreat," I whispered, and sprinted down the stairs.

Kiba and Akamaru weren't far behind, and upon seeing me transform my appearance into a scientist, mimicked me. I grabbed a nearby trashcan that didn't have Yin or Yang in it, dumped its actual trash behind a desk, and grabbed a handful of papers. "Pretend to be disposing of research but be careful not to actually throw anything away. We don't know what is or isn't important."

Once I saw a grunt running down the stairs I shoved my papers into the can, and screamed, "They're here! Run!"

A malicious grin spread over the grunt's face, and he ran by Yin's trashcan. Yin rolled out, sent silk around the grunt's legs, and pulled him into the can, which he then sealed with both of them inside. Muffled screams made their way out for a moment, followed by silence, and Yin rolling out of the can again, sealing it behind him. I dumped my papers on the floor, and held the can low for Yin to roll in, leaving the can by me. "Holy shit," Kiba muttered, "Wally was right. You don't mess around."

"It's them, or us," I responded, "so I pick them every time. No problems or exceptions."

I could see a few boots through a stair rail, but I couldn't hear what the people attached to the boots were saying. Then, all at once, all four grunts ran down the stairs with their various water Pokémon summoned.

An unlucky Lotad ran by Yang's trashcan, it and its trainer were pulled inside to their screaming terror. Kiba threw a paper-airplane loaded with an explosive tag at a female grunt, separating her from her Horsea, which fell by Yin's second trashcan.

Akamaru ran around his desk to kick aforementioned grunt towards the can, and Yin obligingly dragged her in too. The last two grunts got behind a Lombre which used protect to create a safe zone. Their Pokémon, a Carvanha, Poochyena, and Zubat descended on Yang as he exited his sealed trashcan.

Blue and Cadmium leapt to action, discarding their disguises, getting the Carvanha and Zubat respectively. I summoned Suiton, and sent him after the enemy Poochyena. Suiton funneled chakra to his tail, which manifested at mud, and slapped the shit out of the enemy poochyena with it.

Before the Poochyena could recover, he pulled a chunk of concrete from one of the desks, and batted it at the protect sphere, dispelling it. Yang barreled at the remaining grunts, and erupted with poison stingers in all directions, taking them out. "Whoa!" Kiba cried.

Everything was taken care of, but something huge landed on the roof above us. "Got a bad feeling about that," I said, "Let's head up and try to knock it off the roof."

Yin and Yang stayed behind to clean up, but Jiton and Suiton followed me immediately. On the roof was a giant man in a customized uniform, "Admin!" I called to Kiba, "Get back up!"

This man was at least seven feet tall, all rippling muscle like he used steroids, bare chested, and the Aqua logo tattooed on his chest. "You! I heard about you!" he pointed at me, "Archie says you got in the way last time. Not today cause Matt ain't no sissy like Shelly!"

He summoned a Mighthyena and a Sharpedo. "Divide and conquer!" I shouted, and sent Jiton and Suiton after the Mighthyena. Suiton slapped the enemy's eyes with his tail, leaving him blinded, but defying reason, the Mighthyena's teeth raced with electricity, and it chomped down on Suiton as he flipped away.

But if that weren't enough, he didn't let go, and maintained the current until Suiton went still. As he dropped Suiton, Jiton dove at him, glowing with grey energy for an iron head attack, but Mighthyena, still blinded, leapt over Jiton, and flipped, fangs now coated in flames, and latched onto Jiton.

Kiba, Akamaru, Blue, and Cadmium used what I would later find out to be called Beast Mimicry jutsu, and surrounded Sharpedo. But every blow they landed ended up hurting them more than Sharpedo.

Matt's Pokémon were strong, but he was basking in the glow of a well delivered gut punch, so I decided to repay him with interest. I dashed in, and punched him right in the abs with all I had, but he'd funneled chakra into the muscle, so the flesh my fist met didn't have a fleshy consistency, but one of iron.

Every bone in my right hand fractured, snapped, or plain shattered. "Gah!" I cried and backed up.

"You ain't so tough scamp!" Matt laughed sadistically.

Jiton dropped to the ground, unconscious, and I recalled him and Suiton with one hand as fast as I could. Rage burned behind my eyes, and my vision went red. I wasn't strong enough to beat this guy, and the pain in my wrists fed that rage.

At that moment, Yin and Yang rolled up the stairs, and drank in my rage. They began to glow, and discarded their cocoons, emerging as a Dustox and Beautifly respectively. I could feel their new techniques over our bond, and I smiled. "Oh, it's on," I declared.

I pointed to Sharpedo and shouted, "Mega-drain!" and then at Matt, "Confusion!"

Yang flew over Sharpedo and pulled a massive amount of green energy from it, and slurped it up through her long, curly mouth. Yin fluttered over my shoulder, glowed with purple energy, and Matt's eyes shone with a variety of bright colors, disorienting him.

The Aqua admin began to flail wildly about at invisible enemies, so I pointed to Sharpedo, and said, "Yin, Poison Powder!"

As Yin flew away, Yang flew back to me, "Drain him," I whispered.

I could hear Yang suck in air, and with the air, came a stream of chakra. I pointed back to Sharpedo and Yang fluttered off to aid her brother. "Kiba! Hit him with all you got, drive him off the roof!"

Kiba shouted, "Fang over Fang Squared!"

Kiba, Akamaru, Blue, and Cadmium ran, and then spun through the air in a flurry of chakra to slam into Matt's chest like four drills. They pushed him to the edge, and he tripped trying to regain his balance, falling like we'd wanted, "Nooooooo!" he shouted on the way down.

Kiba ran over, took a look at my hand, and gasped, "What was that guy made of?"

"Chakra enhanced muscle," I said, and turned to Yin, "Set a few of these for me?"

Yin's multifaceted eyes glowed purple, and pain ran up and down my arm, wracking my whole body trying to control the sensation. When Yin's eyes stopped glowing I looked down to see my hand mostly better, but I couldn't feel a damn thing below my elbow. "Good enough, let's head down, shall we?"

I held my arm close to my torso as we went down the stairs, and found Kurenai running up to us. "May, Shino, Wally, and Hinata managed to hold off the brunt of the attack, while Steven and I ran off Maxie. What happened here?"

"Brendan handled about six Aqua grunts without my help and set me up with the final blow on an Aqua Admin," Kiba exclaimed, "this dude is hard core."

Kurenai strode over to me and examined my hand, "They've got a doctor coming from across town, how much of that is broken?"

"Judging by the numbness?" I paused, "All of it. I think all of it is broken."

Kurenai gave Kiba a look, who began to clear a table. She pushed me lightly against the table and said, "Lay there. I'll go get the doctor and bring him here first."

I let my head fall onto the table and I focused on breathing. The battle was over, and with its passing would go my endorphins, which I knew were the only things keeping panic at bay. It was going to be a painful afternoon.

 **AN: hey guys, I know I usually post the same thing here, but I felt it was worth saying that I posted a companion chapter to this one the first chapter of Wally's Side: Siege of the Oceanic Museum. While Brendan and Kiba were fighting on the roof, a lot happened on the bottom floor too, and Wally is going to tell you all the important bits. Check it out.**


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 12

We didn't even spend two days in Slateport before heading back to the village. My hand healed nicely and while Wally's hands had been shredded, and thus his treatment had been a bit more delicate, they were bound and we were cleared to run home.

A week passed with some minor missions that I don't remember, and some training with Team Kakashi that seems now to have been inconsequential. I'm know they were good times, but I can't recall exactly what we did. I know they took off for a mission to escort a delivery of Pokemart cargo from Rustburo to the Leaf village the day before I met Team Magma.

It was my turn to water the berry grove, and I did so diligently while May and Wally sparred. Wally's hands were finally recovered, and he was getting back into the swing of his Taijutsu tutoring. He was making strides, but he wasn't ever going to be strong at it. Taijutsu is brutal, and Wally could be conniving, or perhaps clever is the right word, but he didn't have that sinister urge it took to really _beat_ someone senseless.

As I finished up, I set the watering can down, and sighed with relief. Working up a sweat was all well and good, but watering plants wasn't exactly thrilling like Taijutsu training. A finger tapped my on my shoulder, and I schooled myself before turning around to face Steven-sensei. "You're gonna have to try harder to scare me now," I said with a smirk.

He grinned, and his eyes had this evil glint. "I'll do that," he said, "but later. We've got a mission. Let's go downstairs, yeah?"

We followed our sensei down at a brisk pace, and into the hokage building's courtyard. The Third Hokage stood there, waiting for us and smoking his pipe. When we approached he nodded his head to us, "This team has been doing a lot of good work for the village, and I would have liked to give you a break, relatively speaking, by putting you on D rank missions, but something's happened that you are uniquely suited for."

He puffed his pipe, "Throughout the Land of Fire are various shrines that honor the spirits of nature, the shrine at Mt. Chimney, to the west, is particularly valued due to the difficulty to reach it. A gang that normally operates out of the Land of Sound, Team Magma, has infiltrated our country and has taken the shrine over by force."

The Third Lord began to walk in a circle around us, "Seeing as how you have so expertly dealt with Team Aqua, I can think of no team more qualified to deal with Team Magma," he dumped the ashes of his pipe out on the ground, and continued, "I'll not be sending you in alone, naturally. I would also like for Team Asuma's adaptation to Pokémon training be evaluated. Two birds, one stone."

"They'll do great!" May cheered, then after looking around, "Where are they?"

The Third Lord smiled, and said, "You'll find them waiting at the village gate. Steven, I trust you know the way from all your travels?"

Steven-sensei dipped his head in affirmative. "I'll guide the assault."

The Third Lord harrumphed, and waved us away, so we ran. We didn't even really slow when we reached the gate, Team Asuma just caught up with us and we were on our way. Chouji Akamichi ran by my side, keeping up with me while chowing down on a bag of potato chips. "That's… impressive," I said, "how fast can you go without the chips?"

He gave me a look of pure bewilderment, "Why would I run without chips?"

I didn't really have an answer for that, so I let the comfortable silence resume. We ran the entire day, took a break at dusk, and then ran some more. Around midnight, Asuma handed out soldier pills to perk us up, and we approached the base of Mt. Chimney.

It stuck out of the landscape, a single mountain, surrounded by plains, with a constant stream of smoke coming from its top. Steven-sensei stopped, and faced us. "Mt. Chimney was made by Pokémon, and recently has become habited by them again. It looks like it's about to erupt, but it won't. The smoke comes from the lava that Fire Pokémon use to keep themselves warm. It's not dangerous unless you fall in it," he paused, "Please don't fall in the lava, yeah?"

Ino Yamanaka laughed nervously, "Wait… seriously?"

"Oh yeah, the lava is real," Asuma chimed in, "Just stay away from it and you'll be fine. What I'm more worried about is the jagged path up. It's got a sixty degree slope. Be careful to only use the large boulders on the way up, the rest of the rocks will slip under your feet, and carry you down in an avalanche of lava rocks."

Steven-sensei stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The Geodude and Numel that live here like to smoothen out the lava rocks until they're like river rocks. Very interesting phenomenon."

"Well that's just perfect," Shikamaru sighed, "scary rock avalanches and lava."

I shrugged, and started up. I leapt from boulder to boulder, slowing my pace considerably, and picking my way up. Steven-sensei hopped on his Skarmory's back and glided out ahead of me. "Cheater!" I admonished.

"Are we racing?" May asked.

Wally and Shikamaru let out equally world-weary sighs. About an hour later the ground evened out to a mere thirty degree incline, and the smooth stones filtered away, revealing bedrock. Steven-sensei stopped and held his fist over his right shoulder, so when we reached him, we stopped. About a hundred feet away from us was a ridge with stairs carved into it. He said, "Just over that ridge is the shrine. Brendan, send Jiton over while camouflaged and give us the lay of the land."

I summoned Jiton, and formed out link. He floated over the ridge and out of sight, camouflaged. "He's there, but I can't tell what he's seeing," I said.

Steven-sensei nodded, and instructed, "Close your eyes."

When I did, I saw through Jiton's eye. I counted three men and one woman in matching red uniforms with a specialized "M" logo on their chests, and little triangular black horns on their hoods. But just in front of the shine were two people with specialized uniforms. One was fat. Like really, really fat. He kept his hood down, and if it weren't for his hateful beady eyes his smile might have been pleasant.

The other specialized uniform was a lithe woman with pink hair, purple eyes, and beige horns on her uniform's hood. She was staring off into the distance, seemingly disinterested in everything that was happening.

I pushed Jiton to look inside the shrine, but the fat one began to follow Jiton, despite his camouflage. "We're not alone," he said, "hehehe… wonder who's watching."

Jiton panicked, and sped back to me, not that I had a problem with that. "Four Grunts, and two admins for sure," I said, "but they got something going on inside the shrine I couldn't see."

Steven-sensei pointed to the right, "Our Team will go right, hit them on that side," he looked to Asuma, "You guys take the left. Jonin on admins. Genin subdue grunts and investigate the shrine."

"You heard him," Asuma said, and swiped his arm out through the air, "Scatter."

With all speed possible, we ran up the side of the ridge, and then ducked behind the rocks we found on top. I hid shuriken in my beanie, drew a kunai, and summoned Suiton. I nodded to Steven-sensei, who waited for Wally and May to get ready, and then charged the fat admin.

May and Wally sped out after him, and I picked up the rear. Steven-sensei disappeared from view and flickered back into sight behind the female Admin, with a knife to her neck. Wally peeled off to the right, and engaged the grunt there, while May leapt up, and brought her fists to bear on the remaining grunt.

The fat admin turned to me, "Told you we weren't alone Courtney, hahaha."

The woman grunted, "You know… I gathered that Tabitha."

I threw my kunai at Tabitha, but swatted it aside with a chakra charged hand. "Gonna have to try harder than that squirt," he chuckled.

Asuma appeared behind him with trench knife kunai combinations ready to swipe, but once again, Tabitha blocked the attacks with his hands. "Tabitha Akimichi!" Asuma exclaimed, "Never thought I'd run into you here."

Somewhere beyond the shrine I heard Chouji call, "Uncle Tabitha!?"

Battles were hard enough without family drama, so I disengaged, and ran in front of the shrine, Jiton over my shoulder, and Suiton by my left leg. A man in a Team Magma trench coat stepped out of the shrine. He had red, slicked back hair, thick glasses, a slight smirk, and the demeanor of a teacher who was about to lose his shit. His expression was schooled, and his mouth didn't move much, but he still managed to seethe, "Who are you?"

At my mental command, Suiton shot a stream of water at the man's chest, knocking him over. I grabbed my shuriken, and pinned his sleeves to the shrine's wood flooring below him. "Better question is who are you? Are you like Archie?"

That got a hateful stare, "I'm nothing like that simpleton! I am the great Maxie, of Team Magma! I will lead humanity into a golden age of expansion and growth! I will take the power of Pokémon and use it to better the lives humanity!"

He turned his head, revealing a red stone set into his glasses, which began to glow. Another red light shone from within the shrine, where Maxie's Camerupt approached from. A beige shell covered it for a moment, and then it exploded out with the power of Mega-evolution. "This again?!" I shouted, grabbed Suiton, and retreated.

Camerupt, however, followed me out of the shrine, and unleashed a stream of flame after me. Jiton took the brunt of the heat for me, and fainted from the effort. I recalled him, turned so Suiton was facing our enemy, and shouted, "Water gun!"

Suiton shot a stream of water, but the water evaporated before it even touched Mega-Camerupt. This wasn't even fair. Camerupt, a fire/ground type combo, should have been incredibly weak to water attacks, but they didn't even reach him. I turned to run, knowing it probably wouldn't be enough, in time to lock eyes with Steven-sensei.

He glowed with green light, and pulled by a force I could not see he slammed into Courtney. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, I was facing Courtney, and Steven-sensei was staring down Camerupt. There was no mistaking it. He'd used U-turn, a bug type Pokémon move.

His Skarmory landed by his side, and he summoned Metagross. Courtney and I turned back to each other, both with looks of incomprehension. She asked, "Was that -?"

But I punched her in the throat, stopping her cold. As she grabbed her throat and struggled to breathe, I delivered a swift roundhouse to her temple, and she fell. When she turned back, she actually giggled, "You're… interesting. Target locked."

Sometimes people talk about other people having crazy eyes, and you don't believe them until you see them yourself the first time. Courtney was a nut job and a half. "Uh-oh," was all I managed.

Her numel charged to the rescue, throwing its entire body into a brutal take-down, leaving me breathless. "Turnabout… is fair play," she purred.

Suiton didn't wait for me to give it another order, she shot a third stream of water, this one blowing the enemy numel off me. I rolled backwards onto my feet, and dropped into a fighting stance. Before Courtney and I could begin again, Maxie and Steven-sensei's battle reached a fever pitch, with a psychic wave cascading out in all directions, flattening everybody.

I lurched up to a seated position to see Maxie, Tabitha, and Courtney assembled in front of the shrine, Tabitha carrying the fallen grunts in enlarged fists. Maxie snorted, "We'll retreat… for now."

He dropped a smoke-bomb, and when the smoke cleared, Team Magma was gone. Chouji charged into the smoke, "Uncle Tabitha? Uncle!?"

Asuma stepped up to his pupil's side and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He's gone Chouji. We've known for a long time. At least now we know who he's running with."

The inside of the shrine was ruined. None of the sacred scrolls survived, in fact, the only thing that survived was a painting of Groudon, climbing out of the top of Mt. Chimney. "So now we know what Team Magma's after," Wally muttered.

"Do you think Team Aqua is after the, ah, other one?" May asked.

"Do you think Groudon is inside Mt. Chimney?" I asked.

Ino pushed her way in front of the painting. "What's a Groudon?"

"A legend," Steven-sensei responded, "And it's not in Mt. Chimney. We've checked. This is an idle fancy, not a doubt in my mind."

I wasn't convinced, but I let it slide. I had bigger fish to fry. The run home was quiet, with the occasional whispered exchange, except for one actual conversation. Shikamaru started jumping next to May, matching her pace and arch between tree branches. "Are legendary Pokémon real?" he asked.

I slowed to stand on Shikamaru's side. "They're legends. If they do exist, they're not as powerful as the stories say," I responded, and May silently agreed, "What we need to worry about is Mega Evolution. Archie and Maxie have it, and Steven-sensei is the only other person I know of capable of it."

"What are you saying?" May asked.

I took a deep breath, "We need to stop going on these missions and train our Pokémon to be as strong as sensei's. We need Mega-evolution too May."

"Like you could master a jonin level technique," Shikamaru snorted, "that would take years."

I shook my head, "Naruto mastered shadow clones in one night. That's a jonin level technique. Why not us?"

Shikamaru and May gave each other a look, but couldn't come up with a response. You take even the small victories, right?

We got back to the Hokage building, and found my father in talks with the Third Lord. When they saw us, they stopped talking, my father crossed his arms, and the Hokage said, "Report."

Steven-sensei bowed, and said, "Team Magma was run off. The shrine itself is intact, but the sacred scrolls within it were destroyed. Team Magma is researching the legendary Pokémon Groudon."

What I did next was not the polite thing to do, but I felt it was the right thing to do. "I could have stopped them if I knew how to use Mega Evolution."

"Absolutely not," my father interjected, "That is a forbidden technique. It could kill a genin like my son."

A fiery rage came alive in my heart. "I am not some regular genin."

My father chopped his hand down like an axe. "It's not up for debate Brendan. Maybe if you reach jonin…"

"Maybe?!" I shouted, "You don't think I'm can reach jonin?"

My father's face screwed up with incomprehension, "That's not what I said. I'm forbidding any genin from learning about Mega-evolution."

"That's not your call!" I retorted, "You're not my sensei, you're barely even my father!"

It looked like I slapped him, "What?"

"I almost died out there!" I exclaimed, "Not because I made a mistake, or Team Magma had an inside man… I almost died because I was straight up outmatched. I want to even the playing field. I won't let my absent father get in the way of that."

His eyes narrowed, "No, Brendan. Even if I wasn't your father, I'm Steven's boss, and Steven's your boss. I say no mega evolution for genin."

I was about to punch him, but May grabbed my fist before I could pull it back. "I understand where you're coming from, but you need to cool off," she insisted, "Take a walk."

I pulled my arm away from her, and left the building. I let my feet guide me, and I ended up in front of my desk, staring at the drawer with the scroll that Zabuza had given me. It took all I had not to punch holes in the walls, or outright plan an ambush for my father. Was this the rage Zabuza had talked about? It was powerful.

My thoughts began to race almost faster than I can relate through words. I needed a way to protect myself and my teammates from Mega Evolution, but I couldn't use Mega evolution. If my Pokémon weren't the solution, then I would have to be. If I could kill Maxie or Archie before they could use Mega-evolution.

I pushed chakra into the drawer's lock, disarming the explosive tags, and opened the scroll. I opened it, saw the seal, holding the Executioner's Blade, and continued. After the seal was a guide of sorts. How the sword worked, techniques for use, and how it would affect my body. "No time like the present," I muttered to myself, and rerolled the scroll.

On the way out of the house, my father waited by the doorway. "About earlier," he started, but I charged past him without a word or so much of a glance.

He didn't follow, and I took off. I only stopped when I reached Training Ground 3. It was midnight, I hadn't slept in just over two days, but I was determined to start, so I pulled out the scroll. At that moment Kakashi and Steven-sensei flickered into my field of vision. "You're not ready for that," Steven-sensei said.

"I need an edge," I insisted, and summoned the sword.

I don't know if it was that I was tired or if the sword was actually just that heavy to me at the time, but I couldn't even pick it up. "You're… not wrong," Kakashi said, and pulled a scroll from one of the pouches he kept on the back of his belt.

He summoned a short, straight, single edged sword with no hand guard, "I'll teach you to use this as a jumping on point if you put the big sword back where you had it."

I sealed the Executioner's Blade, and Kakashi handed me the smaller weapon. "That was my sword back when I was in ANBU black ops," he explained, "but I had some experience with this kind of thing even before then, haha."

I looked at the blade, and then back up at him, "When do we start?"

"Be here tomorrow at six am," Kakashi said, and flickered out of sight.

Steven-sensei patted my shoulder, and said, "You really impress me, you know?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Steven-sensei pointed the Zabuza's scroll. "That thing… is a bringer of death, plain and simple. Most people would have thrown it away. But you, you kept it."

"Does that make me a bad person?" I asked earnestly, "To keep something that's as evil as this sword?"

Steven-sensei absently fingered the blue stone he used for Mega-evolution that was pinned to his yukata. "I think it may be better to have something, and not need it, than need it, and not have it."

I nodded. "That… is exactly what I'm thinking."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. I know the story idea isn't terribly original, but if you could review my writing technique, please do. Also, I like it when people have good stuff to say.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13

Kakashi was no pushover. I'd seen Steven-senei fight, and I knew he was strong, but he didn't spar with me. Kakashi didn't hold back, and every day I got a bit better with his weighted practice sword because I had to if I didn't want to be covered in bruises. But the faster I got, the faster Kakashi went, revealing that in fact, while he was pushing me to my limits, he was going easy on me. That made me mad, not at him, but at my lack of skill, and the rage made me faster, stronger, and tougher.

A few weeks passed and then Kakashi threw me a curveball. He grabbed his sword, and tossed it to me in his sheathe. "Drop the practice blade," he said, "Let's go for a bit with actual steel."

I dropped the wooden katana replica, and the ground shook. "Every day," Kakashi said, "I've been adding a bit of weight to it. Trick a friend of mine uses. Feel the sword on its own."

I drew the blade, and felt like I felt steel in my grip, but when I moved it was like I was holding air itself. "Whoa," was all I managed.

"You're still not ready for the Executioner's blade, but you can do the exercises we've been doing on your own from this point forward," he said, "Now we work on speed."

The drills changed, but the pattern remained the same. Even without his sharingan, Kakashi was two steps ahead of me. As the sun rose, Kakashi came to a stop, and I leaned against a nearby tree, exhausted. "We'll stop for now," he said with a smile touching his voice, "your turn to water the berry grove, right?"

I grunted an affirmative, and sheathed the sword. "Thank you, sensei."

"I'm sensei now, huh?" he said, and unbuckled my pack.

He pulled a loop with a clip from his pocket, and clipped it around the top strap of my pack, and put the sword's sheathe through the loop before offering my pack back to me. I clipped it on, and the sword's hilt stuck out just above my right shoulder, which was perfect. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," I said, and bowed, "I'll keep the strength practice up. See you tomorrow for speed?"

He nodded, and then ushered me along, out of the training ground, "Go take care of your other duties, I have three other genin to deal with."

I ran back to the village, but stopped at the gate when I saw a strange group of four. They wore strange clothes, with headbands that weren't from the hidden leaf, but there was clearly one jonin and three genin. I scaled the wall, and found ninja in cloaks with masks watching this strange team too. "Who are they?" I asked.

A man with a bear mask turned to me, "Hidden Sand Ninja. They're here to participate in the Chunin exams, I imagine. Their papers are good, don't worry. We-"

The ninja stopped, and pointed at my sword, "Where'd you get that?"

"I've been training with Kakashi," I said, "He gave it to me."

Bear mask nudged his nearest comrade, and asked, "You hear that? Kakashi's scouting for us."

This one, a woman with purple hair and a cat mask, chuckled, "A genin, training with an ANBU sword. Wonders never cease."

I turned back to the Sand Ninja. "If they're friendlies, I'll make sure they get help around the village."

I leapt down to the nearest house, and then down to the street, in front of the ninja. The jonin had dark skin, a brown flak jacket with pointed shoulder pads, and had everything but the right side of his face either wrapped or draped with cloth. The first genin was a guy in all black, with a hood that was reminiscent of cat ears, a mummy on his back, and face paint. The second was a scary looking red head with a gourd on his back, and the character for "love" tattooed into his face. But the last one in the party really caught my eye.

She was a bit shorter than me, blonde hair in four ponytails, a dress with ninja mesh underneath, a giant fan on her back, and she was stunning. More than just her looks though, her eyes twinkled with intelligence that captivated me. She frowned at me, and asked, "Do you need to see our papers?"

I waved her comment away. "Nah. I heard you were friendlies, so I came over to see if you needed anything. How was your trip?"

The one with face paint pointed to my headband. "Wait. That's not a leaf headband. Where are you from?"

I looked down, and then back up. "Oh, I work for the leaf, a special new division. We got our own headbands."

"So you're sort of a leaf ninja?" the girl asked.

"I work for the leaf," I insisted.

"Then why don't you have a leaf headband?" facepaint asked.

I gave him my best stfu smile and said, "I'm distinguished."

"Or differentiated," scary red head said with a raspy voice, "what division are you in?"

I showed them the pokeball/leaf fusion headband, and asked, "You guys don't recognize these symbols?"

"He's a Pokémon specialist," the jonin declared, "will you be participating in the chunin exams?"

I shrugged, "I didn't know we were having them, but tell you what, my name's Brendan, and if I'm taking the exam, then you can consider me your friend, kay?"

"Why should we care?" redhead asked.

I smiled wider, "Because I'm the best in my year."

The girl looked me up and down, and said, "I'm Temari, these are my brothers, Kankuro and Gaara."

I dug in my pack for some oran berries, and offered them out, "You get hurt, you can eat these to dull the pain and heal minor cuts."

The readhead walked by me, "Not interested."

I tossed the berries to Temari, winked, and then said, "Welcome to the village."

Without giving them another thought or moment, I ran off to tend to the berry grove. When I got there, I found that Wally and May had already taken care of it. "How's training?" May asked.

I flicked the hilt of the blade, "Great. Not that I'm complaining, but what's the deal with the help?"

"Steven-sensei wants to meet us at Kanae's." Wally said, "Let's go, shall we?"

We leapt out the nearest window and ran down the side of the mountain. The second we hit the street, we took off towards our spot. Inside the tea shop, Steven-sensei gestured to three Wallys, and took a sip from his own.

We sat down, and he said, "Okay… so… even though you guys have two badges, and are progressing well through the ranks of trainers, it's now time for you two to make the leap up through the ranks of ninja."

"The Chunin exam," I guessed.

"I'm surprised you've heard of it, Brendan," Steven-sensei mused.

I scratched the back of my head, "Some Hidden Sand ninja said they were on their way this morning."

"Hm," Steven-sensei took another sip from his drink, "Wally, care to explain what the exams are?"

Wally smiled, and spoke like he was quoting a textbook. "The Chunin exams consist of a series of tests that will measure how genin, as teams and individuals, have progressed since they became genin. They culminate in a tournament between the genin of various villages in an arena, watched by common villagers and feudal lords alike. It is my understanding that a fair amount of gambling occurs at said tournament."

May and I politely golf clapped, and Wally beamed. "Exactly so," Steven-sensei declared.

He handed us three slips of paper. "I recommended all of you. These are your exam tickets. The first exam takes place in the ninja academy. Take care of each other."

Steven-sensei dropped a few coins on the table, more than enough for our drinks, and said, "Enjoy yourselves, but don't be late."

We guzzled our drinks, and went over to the academy. More genin than I'd ever seen were all around us, from more villages than I recognized. "Downwards facing arrow?" I asked.

'Village hidden in the waterfall," May supplied.

But what really caught my eye were two groups with pokeball prints. Their headband had three ovals, two of which were connected, but they were practically covered in pokeball prints too. "Hidden cloud," Wally whispered, "They don't usually participate."

They must have heard Wally, because a second later all their heads turned to face us. They jumped up and landed all around us in a circle. We got back to back, and glared out at them. The first one I could see was a girl in an orange top with a tight white leggings, her headband hanging around her neck, she had blonde hair, green eyes, a sweet smile, and a big poofy green hat.

Next was a severe looking kid, black pants, a white shirt with red stripes, his headband was attached to his bag like mine, and he had a blue jacket covered in pockets shaped suspiciously like kunai. With his glasses, dark hair and dark eyes, he looked like the meanest librarian you've ever met. He was glaring at me like I'd poured coffee on his favorite novel.

Finally in my field of vision was a girl with a grin that was almost too big. She reminded me of Naruto for a second. She wore blue short shorts, a white t shirt, and a black flak jacket that she left undone. She had altered her headband into a bandana, which she wore on her head, forcing her long, poofy, brown hair through the back. She spoke first, "You guys are the hidden leaf's Pokémon specialists, right?"

"Did the pokeball prints give us away?" I asked, "Or are you just _that_ good?"

She stepped up, and looked me up and down. "You're spunky, which is fun, but can you fight?"

"Excited about the prospect of us beating you?" May asked, "Because don't worry, that's coming."

The girl laughed, and held out her hand, "The name's Hilda." She gestured to the other two I could see, "These are Cheren and Bianca. The others are Nate, Hugh, and Rosa. Raikage sent us to show the world that the Hidden Cloud's Pokémon ninja are the best there are. We're here to beat you in the arena, so make sure that you make it that far, capiche?"

"Brendan," I said, shaking her hand, "and tell Raikage to blow it out his ass."

Hilda laughed gregariously. "I'm gonna enjoy smooshing your face into the dirt."

She turned and went inside the academy, Cheren and Bianca behind her. When they had their backs to me, I got a look at the other three. Leading the way was a kid with a spiky blue afro, a look like someone kicked his dog, and red and black clothes. He wore his headband on his jacket sleeve. He waved at me, and said, "Hugh."

Next were Nate and Rosa, who looked like twins. Nate had a curly brown afro that went straight up for a few inches before falling over under its own weight, almost obscuring his forehead protector. He wore a jacket a lot like Cheren's, but without the pockets, and wore white cargo shorts over black body mesh leggings.

Rosa wore the same black leggings, but went for a long tunic in the cheongsam style, with a pokeball print front and center. She wore her hair in long pigtails that collected in circular buns on the sides of her head, before long ponytails dropped out of them towards the ground. Her forehead protector was worn on her forehead too.

They left too, leaving us in a circle, with the rest of the genin staring at us. I started laughing, "They're not ready for us."

"This is gonna be fun," May declared, "I just wanna let loose already!"

Wally chuckled, "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

We entered the academy, ready for the first exam.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. Thanks for reading my practice. Let me know what I need to work on.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch 14

Wally, May and I strode into the Academy, and looked at our tickets. "The first exam starts in room 201," Wally said.

I motioned towards the stairs, and we started to go up, but hallway up, May grabbed my bag, so I turned to see she'd also grabbed Wally's shirt. "What's up?"

She pointed to a desk on the ground floor. A sign nearby read: Room 201. "Isn't that room 201?" she asked.

"We're on the ground floor," I blinked my eyes, but the sign didn't change.

Wally started up on the stairs again. "Genjutsu. A trick to see which genin are hopeless, no doubt."

"Atta boy," I said and clapped him on the back, "Wally comin' through with the genjutsu know-how."

We were the first group to walk into room 201, so we went to a table in the exact middle, sat down, and I put my head down. "Wake me when the exam is going to start."

I drifted off for a moment, or at least it felt like a moment, but when May tapped my shoulder, the entire room was packed to bursting with genin. "Hm? What's goin' on?"

She pointed to the back of the room where Naruto was surrounded by genin wearing forehead protectors with a musical note logo. "One of yours is getting into it already," Wally said, "the knucklehead in orange."

I waved it off and put my head back down, "Naruto can handle any regular genin."

There was some yelling from the front of the classroom, but I ignored it, until the yelling got louder. When I looked up, there was a man in a black trench coat, holding up a slip of paper with a number one on it, he continued, "… you will sit in the seat that correlates to your number, am I clear?"

"They're separating us," Wally whispered, "why?"

The exam proctors, all chunin or higher, walked through the rows, handing out number slips. A chunin with a band of white cloth over his nose handed me number ten, and continued by. Seat number ten was dead center in the front row, putting me next to a boy in a green jumpsuit with a Hidden Leaf forehead protector tied around his waist, and Temari of the Hidden Sand. She sat down with her nose pointed up. The proctor began to explain the rules, but I wasn't listening.

"How are ya?" I asked.

"Why are you talking to me?" she demanded.

"Well, you're really pretty and I'm hoping a little flirting might get you to smile," I said, "Because I bet that's just amazing."

Her eyes widened. "I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not."

I chuckled, "Might be a little of both, if I'm honest."

A hint of a smirk tugged at her lips, but she fought it down. "Conversation over," she insisted.

"Guh," I sighed, "You're bad at flirting."

The guy to my left gave me a thumbs up, and he whispered, "I, Rock Lee, approve of your youthful expression of admiration. I myself just confessed my love before this exam."

I blushed, "Whoa. I didn't express my love. I expressed flirtation."

Temari leaned over to me, her lips inches away from my ear, and whispered so I felt her breath with each word, "Hm, you know… it's fun to watch you squirm."

When she pulled away I turned back to her, "I take it back, you're good."

"Do you understand the rules, as I have explained them, Brendan, of Olivine City!?" the lead proctor exclaimed.

Reflex took over, and I nodded, so the head proctor handed me my exam first, and the rest of the proctors went through the rows doing the same. "You have one hour, beginning now!" the proctor shouted, and walked away.

While they were passing out papers I read the chalkboard that the head proctor had been writing on. Evidently his name was Ibiki Morino, and the rules for the test were a bit unusual.

Each genin would start with ten points, having points taken from them with each wrong answer… genin scored as teams… blah, blah, blah, and if you got caught cheating five times, your entire team would be disqualified. That struck me as odd, but I continued reading. Tenth question would be revealed just before the hour.

I sat back in my chair, and stared at the blackboard. Something was up, so I looked down at the questions. Each one detailed an advanced ninja art or tactic. Way too advanced for genin. I looked back up at the chalkboard, and smiled. I couldn't get caught cheating five times, but I was allowed to be caught cheating four times. It was so obvious.

I raised my hand, and Ibiki approached me. "I gotta use the restroom," I said with a smile.

He rolled his eyes, and motioned for one of the other proctors to guide me. He put me in hand cuffs, and walked me out of the room. On the way out, I made eye contact with Naruto, who looked like he'd drank sour milk again. I winked at him, hoping he'd take the hint, but no such luck.

In the restroom, the proctor uncuffed me, and I slipped into a toilet stall. I reached into my pack, and grabbed an Aspear berry, the berry I figured I was least likely to need. I dropped the berry into the toilet bowl, and pulled out Jiton's scroll. Once he was summoned, our link resumed, and he camouflaged.

The pokescrolls only released a lot of smoke on a capture, so I was fairly certain the proctor couldn't have known, but I couldn't give him any reason to suspect my subterfuge. I had no idea how these points would be used, really, or if they would be important in the next exam, so I pulled toilet paper, ripped it, and threw it on top of my Aspear berry sporadically over the next five minutes.

When I felt like I'd sold the lie enough, I flushed, made sure the berry went away, and exited the stall. The proctor let me wash my hands, cuffed me, and brought me back to my seat, Jiton floating behind us the entire time.

Jiton levitated to the exam room's back, right hand corner, and anchored himself in the drywall with his claw. I closed my eyes, and looked around through my Pokémon. Out of the entire room, only nine genin were answering a question, and after a brief survey, I realized they were all working on _different_ questions.

Two and two came together. They were chunin, pretending to be genin. I instructed Jiton to link up with May and Wally too. Jiton hummed with the effort of connecting our minds together, but went quiet after a moment. I felt May think: **What was that?**

 _May?_ Wally thought.

Jiton connected us, have you two figured it out, yet? I projected.

 **We shouldn't be doing this, they said we shouldn't cheat.**

 _They said we couldn't cheat five times… Nice work Brendan._

I rolled my head forwards and then back, Okay, close your eyes, I'll have Jiton show us the answer for number one.

One by one, we answered every question. More and more genin, however, were doing the same thing. Once we had our questions answered, I pulled the plug on May and Wally, leaving me and Jiton alone again.

Maybe I was feeling cocky, or maybe I just wanted a little pay back, but turned my attention to Temari. She'd answered all of her questions, but she kept peering periodically at an empty chair a few rows back. Jiton surveyed the room, and while I found Gaara, I did not find Kankuro. He was up to something, and she was nervous.

Jiton floated over, and poked her leg, before beating a hasty retreat under my chair to avoid any potential reflex kicks. Temari's eyes shot open, and she began to tap her feet around under her desk, trying to find whatever had touched her.

Naturally, I had Jiton float up, and tap her shoulder before another hasty retreat. Her eyes were wide, but there wasn't panic there, there was hawk like precision. She kept her cool, but I wasn't done. Jiton floated under the desk, up to Temari's face, and lightly bumped her forehead.

Temari swept her hands out at a wide angle, nearly grabbing Jiton, and attracting the attention of the nearby proctors. I couldn't help it, a repressed giggle escaped me. We locked eyes, and I smirked, all mischief with a wink. She rolled her eyes, and went back to ignoring me, which made me have to fight the giggles harder.

I ultimately had to turn away from her and put my head down, I was so out of control. Rock Lee arched an eyebrow at me, so I had Jiton poke him at the base of his neck. His mouth made a tiny "o" and he whispered, "You, Brendan of Olivine City, are a canny opponent."

The mention of my home town sucked all the joy out of my soul, so I put my head down and silently fumed. Maybe Temari was right. Was I really a Hidden Leaf ninja, or was I Brendan of Olivine City, working inside the Village Hidden in the Leaves?

As if on cue, Ibiki strode to the front of the classroom, and bellowed, "We will now give out the tenth question! But before that, there are some new rules that you don't know about, so listen up."

At that moment, Kankuro walked back into the room, and Ibiki laughed, "Aha! Just in time, I hope your trip to the bathroom was as enlightening as Brendan's."

He flashed me a grin as Kankuro sat down, and I muttered, "Shit."

"Anyway," Ibiki continued, "Try not to let these new rules frighten you. Rule number 1: Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question."

"What happens if we don't take the question?" I asked.

"If any of your team members don't take the tenth question, none of you get to go on," he said with a sadistic smile.

Conversation broke out between genin teams, but Ibiki cleared his throat, "You didn't let me finish. If you answer the tenth question, and you fail, then you will be barred from ever taking the chunin exams ever again."

Panicked silence fell. Ibiki's smile just kept getting wider. "If you don't want to take the question, raise your hand."

That was one hell of a choice. If Wally, May, or I failed, none of us would become chunin… but, I didn't raise my hand. I wanted to become a chunin _now_. I wanted to make a step towards my true goal: becoming a jonin, and learning Mega-evolution. I glared at Ibiki, and stayed right where I was.

However, a few genin here or there began to raise their hands. These genin were escorted out, and the room became less populated. I crossed my arms, and glared my refusal at Ibiki. Then, from the back of the class, came Naruto's voice, "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't' run!" he hollered, and I smiled, "You can act tough all you want, but you guys aren't gonna scare me off, no way! I don't care if I get stuck at genin for the rest of my life! Because I'll still be hokage someday! Believe it!"

"Damn right!" I shouted.

Ibiki looked around the room, "Well, I certainly admire your determination, if nothing else. For those remaining, there's only one thing left to do: listen to me when I tell you that you've all passed the first exam!"

"What are you on?" Sakura shouted, "What do you mean? What's the tenth question?!"

"There was no written tenth question," Ibiki said with a smile that completely lacked any of his earlier malice, "by deciding to stay in the face of extreme consequences, you pass the first exam."

"Wait," Temari said, "The first nine questions… those were, what? A waste of time?"

I found a grin spreading on my own face, "he was getting rid of the cowards, and the weak."

"My newest hero!" May declared from somewhere in the back.

Temari rapped the side of her head with her knuckles, and said, "Oh. Now I feel silly."

I urged Jiton to tap her right shoulder, and drop his camouflage. Temari jumped, and then Jiton flew back into my arms. "No, now you feel silly."

"I totally get it!" Naruto declared, "Never had me fooled, not even for a moment."

I snorted with laughter, and Temari gave me a look. "That kid's an idiot, but I can't help but like the blockhead."

"Explain it again, though, just in case somebody else doesn't get it," Naruto said.

Ibiki sighed, and said, "To be a Chunin squad leader means you will have to make tough, sometimes even suicidal choices. So I made everyone here face a choice like that. Chunin are expected to complete their missions, and eschew the safer of two paths.

"And now that you've passed my test I have nothing left for you but a fond wish for good luck in the rest of the exams for the rest of you," Ibiki finished, "Get ready."

A maroon ball of cloth flew through one the room's windows, and unfurled, revealing kunai tied to each of the corners, and a woman. The kunai anchored the cloth, which ended up being an improvised banner, and the woman pointed at us, "Are you worms ready for the second exam? Too bad! It starts now! Follow me!"

Ibiki sighed, "You're early again, Anko."

Anko was average height, with a chain mesh shirt, a trench coat keeping her "decent," and a beige skirt that was too small and tight to conceal anything ninja related. She gave Ibiki a look, and then eyed each of us. "How did this many pass?"

"They're that good," he said simply.

"Yeah, right. You softie," Anko accused, "I'll tell your squad leaders where you guys will meet me tomorrow. Dismissed!"

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. Thanks for reading my practice.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch 15

The next morning, we assembled at training ground 44: the Forest of Death. "I am not nervous," Wally lied, physically shaking, "This is _not_ ominous or foreboding."

The Forest of Death was apparently called that for its poisonous and/or carnivorous plants, and its usually giant and almost always predatory animals. There was a twelve foot chain link fence around its perimeter, which as Wally was fixated on, seemed a _bit_ inadequate as far as containment measures went. The training ground had forty four entrances, a number thought to be a bad omen in the Land of Fire, further adding to the training ground's bad vibe.

May had a blue scroll with the symbol for earth in her hands. Each of the genin teams that passed the first exam would have to enter the forest, and try to obtain the opposite scroll that they'd been given, in our case: the heaven scroll, and then proceed to the tower in the center of the forest. "We're gonna get this done fast and clean, Wally." I growled, "Get in, get a scroll, get done."

May slammed her fists together. "Think of all those sand genin that don't know how to train or fight Pokémon. Easy pickins."

Wally nodded, "The bears can't get us if we're not there for long."

The proctor of the second exam, Anko Miratashi, had teased Wally about getting eaten by a bear, and it was all he could think about. May rubbed his back absently, "We're together, so nobody's going to be able to stop us."

Just then the door opened, and may and I ran in. Wally found his spine, and caught up to us a moment after. "What's the plan?" he asked me.

"I saw a river that runs through this training ground," I said, "Let's find a big tree next to it, and set up an ambush point, go from there."

We ran alongside the fence, going clockwise, until we reached the river, and then ran along it until I saw a tree reaching a couple hundred feet into the air. My feet hit the side of tree at a run, and soon enough I'd scaled the trunk. The foliage of the tree was enough that I could see the surrounding area, but I felt comfortable that unless you knew where to look, you wouldn't find me.

May and Wally met me at the top. "Here's where we set up our ambush. Varied terrain so our Pokémon can take advantage."

"Shouldn't we go after people?" May asked, "What if nobody comes by us?"

I turned to Wally. "That's Wally's job. Use your genjutsu to lure people to us."

"What if they don't have the scroll we need?" Wally asked.

I summoned Jiton, and said, "I'll be your eyes. Keep Gen out with his pacification sphere, and we'll go out in a spiral. Give me five to set up here, okay?"

Wally shook his head, "If it's all the same to you, I'll just get started, and you can catch up with Jiton once you're done here."

I nodded, and he took off. A second after he was gone, May cackled. "What's up?" I asked.

"I'm just so psyched," she was positively beaming, "we've come so far, and it's time to see how we stack up to other genin, and not freakin' jonin."

She slammed her fist together. "I just wanna hit somebody, ya know?"

My blood was pumping too, so I grinned, "Exactly."

I summoned the rest of my Pokémon, and started directing them. Mokuton found a hollowed out log, so I had him hide in it, and Suiton drove one end into the riverbed so it stuck out of the water. Suiton herself was hiding under the rocks and mud of the river, waiting for the log to move, her signal to leap up and start swingin, while Yin and Yang fluttered above it all.

Katon kept close to me, and I returned to the tree, where May was concealing Cackle and Tiny with sticks and leaves. "Pogo is down there over a pitfall, so watch out," she warned, and returned to her tasks.

"Contacting Jiton," I muttered, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes.

I reached through our bond, and found Wally about a quarter mile away. I expanded Jiton's link to his mind, and thought, Okay, we're set up here. Is there anything you want while we're working?

He shook his head, and thought _I've got my invisibility zone and Gen's pacification zone for now. Anything I should know about?_

I had Jiton flip through the air, bringing a smile to Wally's face. Avoid the river, I've rigged that to be a major offensive. Avoid the pit trap at the base of the tree, and May's claimed the tree as hers.

Wally laughed out loud, _I'll just keep my third of our target out of that entire area, then, huh?_

I hummed with thought, It might be better if you run through it. May and I will pick our portions from the pack, and then you turn around and fight the one that's left.

Wally nodded tersely, and then pointed ahead. The second Hidden Cloud Team, Nate, Rosa, and Hugh were in a circle, drawing a diagram. _Do we want these guys?_

I attached May to our link, and projected, Deliberation. Hidden Cloud trainers. Do we want them?

 _Send Jiton to check if they have the scroll we need._

Jiton floated above them, and looked down. Hugh pulled out a white scroll with the symbol for "heaven" on it. "So, if we've got heaven, then we need earth. To proceed to the next round."

"Let's not forget our objective: beat those Hidden Leaf Pokémon ninja," Rosa chastised, "Forget the scrolls. We should go after them."

Nate shook his head. "Nah. Let's get the scrolls first, and then patrol for them, just in case they get their scrolls faster than us, so we can definitely get to the next round."

"What if they don't get their scroll, or someone takes them out before us?" Rosa asked.

Hugh shrugged, "Then we make it to the next round, they don't, and Raikage should be satisfied with us anyway. We would have progressed farther than them."

Screw these guys. I projected.

 **They have the scroll we need,** May thought, **Reel 'em in Wally.**

Jiton dropped the link to May and Wally, and retreated to Wally's position. "Showtime," Wally whispered, and disappeared in a cascade of glitter.

"It's on," I whispered, and left the tree.

I ran over the river, gave Mokuton a thumbs-up, and continued to the opposite shore, before using transformation jutsu to disguise myself as a rock. Katon ran into the tree line, and then came the waiting. A few minutes later, Wally, appearing to be bleeding profusely, a kunai sticking out of his right shoulder, ran by.

Nate, Rosa, and Hugh were falling for it, hook, line and sinker. They ran by, Hugh in front, Rosa behind, and Nate picking up the rear. I waited until Nate was nearby, dropped the transformation, grabbed him by the mouth, punched him in the kidney, and threw him into the water.

He struggled to the surface, coughing, and a look of utter horror on his face. "Oh no," he muttered.

"Oh yeah," I said with a smile, and drew my sword.

I heard the whistle of ninja wire cutting through the air, and a girlie squawk, quickly followed by a woosh that one might associate with a human body being pulled through the air. "Divide and conquer," I said, "Oldie, but a goodie, and I gotta thank you for the help."

Nate pulled out a pokescroll, but I charged in, and stabbed at his hand, nicking his thumb, before he could summon his Pokémon. He dropped the scroll, and rolled to the left, but I had already redirected my blade, so even though he made his body go concave as he got to his feet, I ripped through his first layer of clothes, revealing the black mesh armor he covered his legs with covered his torso too.

I pushed chakra into my blade, thereby sharpening and fortifying its edge. Yin and Yang fluttered down to float just over my shoulders. "Raikage is going to be so very upset with you Nate," I teased.

I picked his pokescroll out of the water, and saw it was an electric/flying type. Only Pokémon I'd ever heard of having that typing was Zapdos, but I very much doubted that a genin could handle a legendary Pokémon. "Exotic," I said, and made a sad face, "I can't have that."

Nate reached into his pack and threw down a smokebomb at me. I dashed to the side, and got out of the smoke just in time to see him summon three Pokémon that I didn't recognize. A tiny lizard that looked like it was made of leaves, an otter Pokémon wielding a seashell, and a tiny, fiery pig. "Snivy, Oshawott, Tepig," Nate said, "Let's show him what we do."

I dashed forward, and so did Tepig. Twin streams of flame erupted from it snout, which I ducked under, but hit Yin and Yang head on. They never stood a chance. I took Nate's scroll, and threw it at Mokuton's log, disturbing it, and calling in the cavalry.

Mokuton leapt out of the log as it began to flow with the current, and a rock flew out of the bottom, nailing Tepig as he landed on the surface of the water. Suiton leapt out from the depths, and used mudslap to knock Snivy into the air.

As Snivy reached the apex of his flight, a Grand Fireball roared out from the forest, Katon not far behind it, nailing the grass Pokémon. My Pokémon formed a defensive barrier between me and Nate, which was exactly what he wanted. He dove through the river, and grabbed his electric pokescroll. He summoned a tiny, flying, electric squirrel. "Let's do this, Emolga."

Emolga shot a beam of electricity at me, but Jiton absorbed the blow, losing his camouflage, however, my Pokémon wasn't even that badly hurt by the enemy attack. "You're gonna need more than that," I spat.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. Thanks for reading my practice.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 16

Everything was, at least for a moment, absolutely still in the Forest of Death. I stood on the river's surface, Suiton, Katon, Mokuton, and Jiton in front of me, while Nate, a Pokémon ninja from the Hidden Cloud, waited with his Pokémon Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, and Emolga.

Jiton felt my urge to attack, and used Zen Headbutt to knock Emolga out of the way, and bury his head in Nate's stomach. Nate whispered, "Attack… pledge."

Tepig and Snivy sprayed red and green energy respectively from their mouths, these beams combined, swirled together, and hit me in the chest. The force of the blow wasn't anything to write home about, but it lit me on fire like I was made of twigs, and then it splashed all around me, lighting the river, and part of the shore on fire.

I ran to where the river wasn't on fire, and dove, putting myself out, but Snivy and Oshawatt followed me, and fired green and blue energy at the riverbed below me. The stones melted to mud, and vines crawled from the muck, wrapped around my legs, dragging me down.

Katon, thinking on his feet, shot a Grand Fireball down into the river, evaporating the water, killing the vines, but this time I was still wet enough that I couldn't actually catch fire. I leapt into the air, sheathed my sword, and drew two kunai.

Still in mid-air, I threw a kunai at Nate, which Emolga deflected with a bolt of electricity, but the second kunai went clear through Emolga's wings and into Nate. He screamed, and I shouted, "Mega-drain!"

Mokuton pulled life energy from Nate, and then removed my kunai, which he held like a sword in front of himself. I landed on one side of the river, and Nate rolled backwards, ending up on the other side. Our Pokémon gather around us, once again in defensive positions, my enemy with one less than before. "We'll take 'em out one by one," I snarled.

"No you won't!" Nate cried, "We're unstoppable when we're together! Unity pledge: Hyper-Beam!"

Snivy, Oshawott, and Tepig shot out beams of energy that intertwined, the color bled out, leaving a white beam of light racing towards me. Jiton, once again, flew into the way, and took the hit for me. This time I didn't have a skill gap to blame it on. I had plain screwed up, and my Pokémon paid the price.

As I recalled Jiton to his scroll, a rage that was becoming too familiar began to eat at my insides. "Unity pledge," I growled, "Hyper-Beam!"

Nate laughed, "No way your Pokémon are in sync enough to use that move!"

Suiton, Katon, and Mokuton fed on my rage, and shot their beams of energy, intertwining into one, and losing all color. Nate's eyes widened, and his Pokémon scattered. The enemy Pokémon dodged the blast, but Nate took it full in the chest, and it took him into the air, and then ultimately drove him into a tree trunk, which cracked under the force.

The rage died down a bit, and I felt positively electric. He'd messed with me and mine, so he'd paid for it. At that thought, Suiton, Mokuton, and Katon were wreathed in white light, before evolving into Marshstomp, Grovyle, and Combusken respectively.

Nate's Pokémon were without leadership, so I walked past them and used the pokescrolls on him to recall them. I pulled him out of the tree, and searched through his pack. He hadn't kept the Heaven scroll, so Hugh probably still had it. I slipped his pokescrolls into his pack, used ninja wire to tie him to the tree, and pulled his forehead protector off as an afterthought.

My three remaining Pokémon were still strong, so I ran to the tree, and up the trunk. Where May's traps had been, there had been quite the struggle. About half of the tree's branches were broken, and those that weren't broken could hardly hold the deadwood's weight for long.

All that said, it wasn't hard to discern which way they'd gone. Heading north into the main body of the forest, was a swath of destruction. Trees had entire chunks missing from their trunks, trees that didn't have chunks missing had giant cuts, like a cartoonish sawblade had bounced into and then off the trees like a pinball, and here and there were the occasional patch of dragonfire.

I leapt down, and followed the battle, my Pokémon right behind me. We reached a clearing, and there were May and Rosa. Rosa had three Pokémon I once again, didn't recognize, so I pulled out my pokedex. First she had an Axew, then a Deino, and finally she had a Braviary.

May and Rosa were panting, and their Pokémon were too, the battle in fact, had come to a stalemate, so I decided to give May the psychological edge. I crept around behind Rosa, and threw Nate's forehead protector over her head. It bounced, and ended up face up just in front of her feet. "Nate says "Hi" but he's a bit tied up right now," I said, "so that's all you're getting."

May's chakra began to manifest outside of her body like a cloak, and she shouted, "Stay out of this Brendan! She's mine!"

May's chakra began to swirl, Braviary took to the air, circling her, and May shouted, "First gate: Gate of Opening!"

May's chakra snapped, and returned to her body. Her Pokémon wobbled for a moment, and then their chakra did the same thing. "Don't ever insult my friends," May whispered, and then her body disappeared from sight.

Rosa spun around, and shouted, "Dragon Rage! All directions!" her voice cracked, "Don't let her hide!"

Axew and Deino sprayed dragonfire from their mouths, and made a circle of fire around Rosa. However, May reappeared right behind her, and said, "I'm not hiding anywhere."

May kicked Rosa right in the ribcage with her knee, but the force of the blow wasn't proportional to the follow-through. May ended the blow with her knee just in front of her, but you'd think that Rosa had been hit like by a charging Ryhorn based on the way she flew through the air.

A flash of movement called my attention away from May. Tiny, the Makuhita, punched the ground, causing a crater to form in the dirt, just barely missing Deino, which was mid-flip through the air. But Tiny was faster than he should have been.

As Deino hit the ground, he doused Tiny in dragonfire, or he would have, if Tiny hadn't cartwheeled out of the way. Deino was so focused on the spot that Tiny should, by all rights, have been, so he didn't see Tiny even after Tiny punched him in the face.

Whatever technique May was using to up her speed had bled over to her Pokémon. Pogo was hopping around Axew in rapid speed, peppering the dragon with confusion techniques. Cackle, however, leapt into the air, latched his jaws onto Braviary's right wing, and _threw_ it back down to the ground, into Tiny's waiting arms.

Tiny spun Braviary around, over his head, and then into the ground with all the momentum he could muster. Cackle landed on Tiny's shoulder, and the two Pokémon dashed to help Pogo. I turned back to May's fight.

Rosa spun around in place, her chakra forming a pillar of swirling flame, and May stopped just short of diving into the fire. She backed up, stared at the fire, and then began to run around it in a circle, faster than I could keep track of her.

May accelerated until she formed a vacuum, and the flame withered like a slug in a salt pile. The second Rosa was visible, May pivoted off her outside foot, and delivered the most powerful right cross I'd ever seen.

The force of the blow carried Rosa through the air for a brief moment, but then Rosa came back down to the ground, however, she kept going, cutting through dirt and rocks like butter, ending up about two feet under the surface.

Before Rosa had even really settled, May was on top of her. "How was that for a straight up fight bitch?" May demanded, "And just think: I'm limited to Taijutsu, so really I'm the _weak link_ of my team."

I strolled over as May's chakra began to settle. "We don't have a weak link May," I insisted, "whatever that was… was the baddest shit I've seen, like ever."

Rosa coughed blood, and her head fell back. Tiny started the process of dragging her defeated Pokémon over to her unconscious body, and I took her headband. Mokuton nudged me, and handed over Nate's. I waved them at May and said, "Should scare the piss out of the other hidden cloud if they make it."

May patted down Rosa, and winced. "She doesn't have the scroll. I need to wrap up my hands."

I took a look at her knuckles, and saw they were bleeding profusely and even showing a little bone. "How's your knee?"

She fidgeted. "The Eight Gates have some drawbacks," she muttered, "I got bandages and balm. Go check on Wally."

"Which way?" I asked, and May pointed south, back towards the fence.

I took off, and gradually climbed into the trees. Without Yin, Yang, or Jiton to guide me, I was on my own, so I got high into the canopy, and looked down for Hugh because I probably wouldn't find Wally.

I heard a scream back the way I'd come, and because I didn't have much else to go off of, I turned back. Hugh had his back pressed against a tree trunk, and horror in his eyes. "Nate?! Rosa!? Where are you?!"

He was swinging his head around, as if plagued by unseen forces, which, considering his opponent, he probably thought he was. "I've never seen someone use lava style before…" he muttered, "I need a way out…"

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a purple pokescroll. The Pokémon was a small, purple Pokémon with a flower pattern adorning its skin. My pokedex identified it as Munna, from parts unknown. Munna spun around, and then spun up, suddenly charging at the tree trunk.

Munna collided with something I couldn't see, disturbing the illusion around what ended up being Wally. With Wally's appearance, came Hugh's composure. "A genjutsu?" Hugh shouted.

Wally pushed off the tree, and summoned Nin, who phased into the ground. Hugh pulled out two more scrolls, and snarled, "Just so you know: You're about to feel my rage."

I pointed my pokedex at his new summons, and saw the little yellow fox standing on two legs was called Mienfoo, and the little knife elf thing was called Pawniard. Wally summoned Shroomish, and a purple halo of energy flew out from in canopy opposite me, and struck Meinfoo.

Mienfoo began to spin around, sending out bursts of chakra from its hands in a graceful, if not addled, dance. Pawniard took one such blast on the chin, and was subsequently dragged underground by Nin.

Munna glowed with white light, and launched a Psybeam attack at Nin as he surfaced, but the beam bounced right off Wally's Pokémon and travelled off into the forest. Nin grinned, and sank back into the ground.

Wally had things well handled, but still, I was there to help, so I landed next to him, and held the two forehead protectors I'd collected aloft so Hugh would see them. "Need any help?" I asked.

Wally rolled his eyes, and disappeared, so I stayed right where I was and started tapping my foot. Mienfoo shook his head, and refocused his gaze at the only person he saw: me. The enemy Pokémon charged at me, but I trusted Wally, so I wiggled my fingers at it in greeting.

Gen stepped out of the canopy, held a hand to his head, and shot off a psybeam, knocking Mienfoo off its feet. It tried to get up, but its arms collapsed. "Critical Hit," I declared, "It was super-effective."

Hugh ran at me, but tripped over nothing I could see, hard, and ended up with a face full of dirt. Munna glowed, Hugh glowed, and then he began to float to an upright position. I say began because a shadowy hand reached up from the ground, and yanked Hugh down, so only his head was visible from the ground.

Munna panicked, and Nin threw a shadow ball attack at it, knocking it out. Wally appeared standing next to Hugh's head. "What kind of ninja shouts loudly and charges at his opponent?" he asked, paused, and then answered, "A powerful one. Which you… are not."

Wally kicked Hugh's head, and cleared his throat, "Nin, get me the heaven scroll."

Nin dipped under the earth, and reappeared with the scroll. "His forehead protector too, if you don't mind," I said, and Nin disappeared again.

"Where's May?" Wally asked.

Nin returned, so I grabbed the forehead protector, and began tying them together. "Bandaging her fists," I said, "Something about 8 gates."

Wally arched an eyebrow at me. "What are those?"

I shrugged, "Did you know she couldn't use ninjutsu?"

Wally frowned, "I've never really asked, come to think of it. She isn't from a clan like me, so I just assumed she didn't have any special jutsu."

My Pokémon helped Wally's drag Hugh's Pokémon over to his head, and then we recalled our individual Pokémon. "Let's go check on her," I said, "and get to the central tower."

Wally gestured for me to lead the way, so I dashed off. "Your Pokémon evolved," Wally remarked, "good fight?"

I winced. "A learning experience," I called back to him.

When we returned to May's battleground, she was testing how much her bandages restricted her hands. "I'm ready," she declared, "got the scroll?"

I showed it to her, so she tossed me the Earth Scroll. We went back to the river, still aflame in certain areas, and ran north along it. When the tower came into view, we diverted our course and ran through the forest.

The tower was at least six or seven stories tall, I couldn't tell because the windows and levels of the tower itself were almost haphazard, red with orange plank roofing, and had a giant door on the south side. I pulled the doors open and we strode inside. "Think we're the first group here?" May asked.

We got our answer when inside the first room of the tower, were waiting Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. "What took you three so long?" Kankuro teased.

I grinned at Temari, and held up the three Hidden Cloud forehead protectors. "We had a point to make."

May and Wally of course knew I was fibbing, but Wally added, "Yeah, we got our pride after all."

"Better quipping," May said, "Not great, but better."

Temari grinned back a little, "Meh, those six were barking too loud to have any bite."

I did a faux gasp, "Do you dispute the honor of our hunt?"

"I daresay she does!" May exclaimed, "We shall see you three in the arena."

Kankuro opened his mouth to speak, but Wally slashed his hand through the air, "Speak not, lest your words anger us further."

I turned to May, "It's like he's growing up right in front of us."

Gaara rolled his eyes, and continued on to the next room. Kankuro followed without much thought, but Temari lingered a moment, before she too left us. I might have stared a bit as she walked away. She looked my age and well, things were lookin' good on her end, _ba dum tiss_.

"She's got a nice butt," May said, "and she's got the hip sway thing goin' too."

"I know why Brendan's staring," Wally said pointing to me, and then pointed at her, "But shouldn't you be calling Brendan on staring?"

"Nah," May chuckled, "I like girls too."

I blinked, "We're learning a _lot_ about you today…"

May glared at me, "We gonna have problems?"

I shook my head and offered out my fist, "You were already like a "bro" to me, now it's official."

May giggled, "Now we can bond over Pokémon and girl butts."

"Girl butts are nice," I said, and we approached the next door.

As we did, three more genin entered the tower. I grinned, and stopped when I saw it was Hilda, Cheren, and Bianca. May grabbed the forehead protectors from my hand and threw them down the hallway, before ushering me and Wally through the door.

The room we found ourselves in was larger than the last one, square, with doors at regular intervals along the side, but not on the far side. Four chunin dropped down from above us, and said, "This way."

They marched us to the nearest door on the right, and we entered. "What should we do now?" Wally asked.

I opened the scrolls, and set them on the ground. The scrolls released a great deal of white smoke in a pillar, which faded to reveal Steven-sensei. "This is the only time I'll ever permit you to be in second place, yeah?"

We sighed, and he chuckled, "No but really… don't ever lose again. So… here's the part where I read poetry."

I blinked, Wally arched an eyebrow, and May scoffed, but then Steven-sensei said, "If the qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are open, the perilous path becomes righteous forever, this is the secret way that guides us from this place today."

"What?" I asked, because I had been too shocked at Steven-sensei reading poetry to listen to the poetry.

May tilted her head in confusion, but Wally snapped his fingers. "It means that if you're good at fighting but not thinking, train your mind, and vice versa. When you have both your mind and your body trained, you won't be in danger wherever you go."

Steven-sensei gave him a thumbs up. "I've arranged for food to be brought to you over the next couple days while we see which candidates get through. After that… we start the final exam: a tournament. At this point you three are on your own. We've tested your teamwork as a team, now we're going to take a close look at how you perform on your own."

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. Thanks for reading my practice.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 17

In the three days that followed there was a lot of waiting. Steven-sensei was kind enough to bring me my practice sword, but Kakashi was busy awaiting the pass fail mark of his team to help me with my speed training, so I refocused on my strength exercises. Wally meditated, and would occasionally ask me to spar with him. May officiated because we wouldn't allow her to do anything but recover for the upcoming tournament, which she eventually took to with gusto, using my practice sword to correct our posture or technique. In short, the three days we had did not go to waste.

Towards the end of the third day, Steven-sensei entered our little room with a perturbed look. "Bad news," he started, "A lot of genin passed the second exam, so before the third and final exam can begin… we've got to have preliminaries."

"Bring it," May barked.

"Wait," Wally said, "What does that mean for us?"

Steven-sensei sighed, "If you make it past the preliminaries you will be entered in the tournament and considered for Chunin promotion. You don't have to win the tournament to be promoted, but that's not an important detail if you don't make it through the preliminaries."

He pulled three orange balls from his yukata and placed them on the ground in front of us. "These will have a number that will correlate to the preliminary matchup board. In the next room, you will find the arena for the preliminaries, Lord Hokage, and the exam proctor. As genin teams enter, the match up board will begin to bear the names of your opponents. The order of matches will be random. Do you understand?"

I nodded, and grabbed the middle ball, Wally grabbed the right, and May went for the left. I spun the ball around in my hand, eventually coming upon a number seven. "Either of you guys got six or eight?" I asked.

"Thirteen," May said and pumped her fists through the air.

"Seventeen," Wally sounded like he'd seen a Camerupt swim, "That many genin made it?"

Before Steven-sensei could respond, Naruto burst through the door opposite to the one we'd entered. "Hurry up! I don't want you guys to be last!"

Wally shook his head, May whooped, and I chuckled. "That's our cue sensei," I said, and we followed our friend.

The door led us into a hallway, which Naruto turned left in, and we followed after him. The hallway opened into a room that, if it weren't for the scars of battles throughout it from exams past, would have been about the size of a grand ballroom. Again, the scarred cement and metal told a different story, but perhaps the biggest giveaway was the giant statue on the far side of a ninja making the tiger hand sign.

The third Hokage and a Hidden Leaf jonin that I didn't recognize were standing under the statue, so I assumed the jonin was the proctor Steven-sensei had mentioned. I leapt over Team Kakashi and ran up to the duo. I handed the proctor my ball and said, "Brendan, number 7."

Wally and May caught up after a second and handed in their orbs. The proctor himself had bags under his eyes, a phlegmy voice, and a yellow-ish tinge to his skin, all of which came together to create the picture of a seriously ill man. He took the ball, and his cheeks puffed out like he was suppressing a cough, but he pointed up behind me, at one of the indoor balconies on either side of the arena, and shooed me away.

May leapt up first, and then I followed, with Wally picking up the rear. Steven-sensei flickered into existence beside us, and I leaned on the rail. "Let's see who else made it, huh?" I proposed.

Team Kakashi registered, and then took position at our left, while other genin entered the arena. Team Kurenai didn't surprise me, nor did Team Asuma, but the Hidden Sound Genin did. "You'd think a new village like theirs would have had trouble," I mused.

"Worry about the big fish," May reprimanded as the Hidden Sand Siblings entered the arena, "The one with the red hair scares me."

Temari led her teammates to stand to our right, and the hidden cloud Pokémon ninja entered. Temari led her teammates to stand to our right, and the hidden cloud Pokémon ninja entered. "You suck!" May shouted.

They didn't look at us, or acknowledge us, registered with the proctor, and jumped up to the opposite balcony. The second to last team into the arena were a group of Leaf genin I didn't recognize, but the sensei and one of the genin appeared to be father and son, another looked to be related to Hinata in some way, and the last genin, a girl, had her hair up in buns and wore a cheongsam. "Team Guy," Wally whispered, "Hinata says they're all really good."

May nodded, "I train with Lee and Guy, the two in the lame jumpsuits, so I can vouch for them. Neji Hyuuga is a genius and Tenten can turn just about anything into a weapon, not that she needs to with all the steel she's packing."

The last group was another set of leaf genin. Naruto waved, and shouted, "Kabuto!"

This final trio was odd. Two of the three wore bandanas to conceal their faces and hair, all of them wore some form of glasses, and they gave me bad vibes. I walked over to Naruto, and asked, "Who are those guys?"

Naruto pointed to the genin with gray hair in a ponytail. "That's Kabuto. He's a super nice dude with these cards that tell you about the ninja participating in the exams and he's got a lot of crazy experience with the chunin exams."

I arched an eyebrow, "Why hasn't he passed yet?"

Naruto looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped for a moment, then he said, "I don't know. I didn't ask."

I returned to my team, and said, "Those guys are sketchy."

Wally snorted, "I could have told you that."

The proctor stepped into the middle of the arena, and said, "I am Hayate Gekko, proctor of the third exam. Your jonin have instructed you as to why we're holding these preliminaries, but I have to tell you the rules. These will be one on one fights, with absolutely no outside help," Hayate stopped to let out a horrible hacking cough, "in the second exam, lethal force was not allowed, whereas here it is merely frowned upon. Do not kill if you do not have to, but I won't stop anyone from finishing a close match."

"You're… you're asking us to risk our lives?" Kabuto asked, and then after a pregnant pause said, "Well then that's it. I'm out."

Hayate coughed, and then said, "You know the way out."

Kabuto waved to Naruto, and left. "Is it weird that I'm more nervous about him now?" I asked.

His two remaining teammates, however, went up to the other side of the room and waited there. Hayate cleared his throat again, and spat out something yellow. "Yuck." May whispered with a shudder.

"One more thing," the Third Hokage said, "It's been a long time since the Great Nations have gone to war, which is a good thing, all in all, but the lack of war puts the Hidden villages in a tough position, financially. The tournament that you are all struggling to participate in is no mere amusement. Let me be clear… the chunin exams are a proxy war. A biannual battle in front of feudal lords for funding. You are not just fighting for yourselves, you are fighting for your villages."

"Well then," Hayate said, "with that, let's get started."

A giant board slid down to cover the face of the shinobi statue, with its hands partially sticking up in front of the board. Along each side were rows of digital displays, like one might expect at a sporting event. The two top left lines flashed with red light, before revealing the names Shikamaru Nara, and Kin Tsuchi.

May barked savage laughter. "This girl doesn't stand a chance," she declared, "Not against Shikamaru."

"If he doesn't just drop out here and now," I added.

May's eyes widened with the thought. "He would do exactly that," she muttered, then she shouted, "SHIKAMARU, IF YOU DON'T KICK HER ASS I WILL BEAT YOU VICIOUSLY!"

On the other side of the room Shikamaru sighed, and walked down to the arena. Kin Tsuchi was one of the Hidden Sound Genin. She pushed her way past Shikamaru into the arena. When Shikamaru reached the center of the arena too, Hayate coughed, "Go."

Like lightning, Shikamaru drew a kunai with an explosive tag and threw it at her. Kin leapt back, and deflected it off to the side so it exploded in the air. "What a drag," Shikamaru groaned, "It couldn't have been that easy, could it?"

Kin drew six senbon needles and threw them at him in a horizontal line. Shikamaru dropped to the ground just under them, and mumbled something I couldn't quite hear. "USE YOUR POKEMON!" May shouted.

"What Pokémon?" Shikamaru asked, and stood back up.

Something tingled underneath the balcony, and I leaned over it. Each of the senbon had ninja wire attached to it, however only one of the senbon had a bell attached to it, and Shikamaru was staring too, which was exactly what Kin wanted. She drew six more senbon and threw them in a vertical line between the two ninja wire lines that Shikamaru found himself between.

Shikamaru jumped up and flipped sideways, landing between two different lines. He made a hand sign, and matched Kin's body position. Everything went still, and Kin demanded, "What have you done?"

"Shadow Mimicry Jutsu," Shikamaru responded, and threw his head backwards.

Where Shikamaru merely landed on his hands in a crab position, Kin slammed her head into the wall. A light, somewhere in the back of my brain, flipped on, and I looked at Kin's shadow. It was nonexistent.

As Kin fell into unconsciousness, I watched a shadow detach from her, slither back along one of the ninja wire shadows before ultimately returning to Shikamaru. "What just happened?" Temari asked.

"He borrowed shadow from the ninja wire," I said, "That guy's subtle as fuck."

Temari's eyes traced the length of the ninja wire, "Oh. Yeah, that'd do it."

Shikamaru returned to the balcony the rest of his team was standing on. "What a fight!" I exclaimed.

"It didn't have much action…" May murmured.

"No," Wally said, "But it was smart."

The sound ninja with his head covered in bandages jumped down, threw his teammate over his shoulder, and retreated back to the balcony. As soon as both of the fighters were back on their sides of the field, Hayate triggered the electronic board.

After three red flashes, the board chose Wally and Cheren. "Well then, Cheren of the Hidden Cloud, and Wally of the Hidden Leaf Pokémon Division."

Wally leapt over the rail and onto the floor. Cheren pushed his glasses up his nose and followed suit. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my friends," Cheren declared.

"You can try," Wally retorted, and snapped his fingers.

With the snap, Wally disappeared from view entirely. Cheren's eyes widened in surprise. "Genjutsu?"

Cheren, panic clear in his jerky movements to look around, suddenly looked up, moaned, and grabbed his crotch before toppling over. When he hit the ground, Wally reappeared, his foot out where Cheren's naughty bits had been. "And Taijutsu," Wally gloated, before disappearing again.

Cheren summoned a moving rock formation I didn't recognize, so I pulled out my pokedex, identifying it as Boldore. "Explosion," Cheren squeaked.

Boldore glowed with white light, before unleashing a ring of fire in all directions that took little pieces of itself along for the ride. Cheren was still on the ground, so the wave passed right over him, but it slammed into an invisible Wally behind him, sending my friend rocketing into the nearest wall, which cracked, and then ended up holding him aloft.

Wally's eyes were wide with surprise, and a trickle of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth. "Oh my god…" I whispered.

Cheren pushed himself up, stepped over the pieces of his ruined Pokémon, recalled them to its pokescroll, and stopped just in front of Wally. The enemy shinobi grabbed Wally's hair, pulled his head out from the rock, and slapped him across the face. "You should not have messed with the hidden cloud," Cheren said, like he was simply stating a fact, "We're better than you, and now… now we're going to prove it to you. Painfully."

Wally blinked his eyes, and Cheren backhanded him. May grabbed the guard rail so hard it began to bend and creak. Cheren grabbed Wally's head again, and held it up so he could look at us, "Your friends… they're going to have to do a lot better than you to amuse Raikage. Let them know for me?"

Hayate coughed, and said, "Match over now, I suppose. Winner: Cheren, of the Hidden Cloud."

And just like that, the chunin exams stopped being fun, or about improving myself. I wanted to hurt Cheren as badly as one person could hurt another.

AN: writing this story to keep writing while my actual book is getting read by beta readers. Thanks for reading my practice.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 18

The next match came up with the names Sasuke and Yaroi. "Two leaf ninja," Hayate mused, "Well, Sasuke… Yaroi… get down here."

Sasuke started to go down, but Sakura stopped him. The two had a terse, whispered discussion, and Sasuke pulled away. When he did, Sakura looked like she was going to shout something, but Kakashi-sensei stopped her. "Something's up," I mused.

May was biting her nails, nervous about Wally's recovery. "Nothing we can do for him here besides win our matches. Focus on now."

She nodded, and we watched Yaroi, one of Kabuto's teammates, walk down from the other side of the railing. His lower face was covered by a bandana, as was his hair, and even his eyes were concealed behind circular sunglasses. "It's hard to get a read on him," I said, "but he doesn't stand a chance against Sasuke."

"The genius of the Uchiha," May whispered, "Let's see if he's stronger than Zinnia."

Hayate waved his hand through the air, signaling the match to start. Sasuke flew through some hand-signs, and spat a fireball, but it was a smaller fireball than usual. Much smaller, like the size of a basketball instead of the usual size of a Wailmer. "Uh oh," I groaned, "Something is up. He's tired or…"

I watched black markings crawl up the side of his neck. "Something happened in the forest." I whispered to May, and pointed at the markings.

She squinted, and nodded, "I don't think that's an Uchiha thing. Zinnia didn't do that, anyway."

"Who is Zinnia?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the match.

Sasuke ran in to punch Yaroi, but Yaroi caught the punch. What was weird was that Yaroi held onto Sasuke's fist, and the blue tinge of chakra began to flow from Sasuke to Yaroi. "She was special to me," May said, "but she's on a journey right now at the behest of her late father. I haven't seen her in, well… it feels like it's been years."

Sasuke stabbed a kunai into Yaroi's arm, freeing himself, and flipped over backwards. "I'm sorry for bringing it up," I muttered.

Sasuke grabbed his pokescroll and summoned Avenger. "Game, set, and match," I declared, and turned back to May, "but if Zinnia is anything like Sasuke… she's just fine."

May grinned at me, "She's better than Sasuke."

Avenger, Sasuke's Bagon, spewed Dragonfire at Yaroi, keeping the enemy genin occupied, while Sasuke sped around him, and kicked him behind the knee. As Yaroi hit the ground, Avenger charged, throwing his entire weight and strength behind a Headbutt attack, knocking Yaroi out cold. I whistled, "That's how you end a match."

Kakashi jumped down to the arena, and helped Sasuke out through one of the doors. "I'd like to fight him at full strength," May growled, "That'd be really fun."

I turned to Naruto and Sakura. "What's up with the avenging brooder?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," Sakura lied with a fake chuckle, "He's just fine."

I narrowed my eyes, and the beeping for the next match started up, but I ignored it. "Sakura…?" I kept my tone even, but gave it an accusatory edge, "Something's up with him, what is it?"

She scratched the back of her head with her tongue out, then her eyes focused, and she pointed, "Oh, look! May, you're up!"

I turned and saw that May and someone named Zaku had been chosen for the next match. Zaku, one of the Hidden Sound, leapt down into the arena. He had an odd forehead protector that covered the sides of his face, and his arms were in slings. "Put this guy out of his misery," I chuckled, "That looks like it hurts."

May leapt down into the arena, and summoned Cackle. "Handle business," May directed, and Cackle began to circle Zaku.

Zaku smiled, and his eyes glinted with the sadism of a psychopath. "The doctors said I wouldn't be able to move my arms, but I'm feelin' lucky."

He slipped one of his arms out of his sling, and pointed it at May. There was a circle of metal on his palm, and a gust of air burst out of it at May. May got blown backwards, landing on her butt, but she rolled backwards to her feet. "Nice trick," She admitted, "but if that's all you got… this match is over."

Mania crept into Zaku's voice, "I can't lose. It's not possible!"

He shot another gust of air, but May was ready for it, and dodged out of the way. While he was focused on proving his point to May, Cackle snuck up behind him, and snapped at his ankles. Zaku turned to Cackle, but May's Pokémon was underfoot by the time that Zaku turned to look for him.

Cackle made the sound that gave him his name, and then howled, causing Zaku to backpedal away. When Cackle was just in front of Zaku, he leapt up, and bit down his arm, sending a current of electricity up and down his good arm. "Thunderfang," I said with a smile, "atta boy."

Zaku shook Cackle off, and tried to blast him, but whatever mechanism he had in his arm backfired, and blew his own arm off. Cackle shook with joy, and began to glow, evolving into Mighthyena.

With a panicked scream, Zaku collapsed, and Cackle was on him in an instant. Hayate approached, but did not interfere as Cackle shook Zaku by the throat. Arcs of electricity raced up and down Zaku, which prompted Hayate to turn to May and ask, "Call your Pokémon off? You win."

May snapped her fingers, and Cackle dropped Zaku, wagging his tail so fast it was practically a blur. He ran over to May, and ran his head under May's hand, essentially petting himself. May turned to the Hidden Cloud Ninja, and patted herself down, as if checking her pockets, and then said, "Oh, there it is!" and flipped them off.

May returned to out spot at the bleachers, and I gave her a high five, but the three Hidden cloud ninja weren't far behind her. They pushed the remnants of Team Kakashi out of the way, and Hilda got in my face, "Picking on the weak doesn't make you badass," she insisted.

May made a kissy face at her, "Love you too babe."

I kicked her in the sternum, knocking her over into her teammates. "How's that, better?" I asked.

Before Hilda could respond, Hayate appeared between us, coughing. "Save it for the matches. Team Alder, you three back to the other side. Team Steven… don't embarrass us like that again."

"Tch," I spat, and turned back to the match board.

"I can't take the waiting anymore!" Naruto exclaimed, but I kept my eyes on the Cloud ninja as they returned across the arena.

"Finally!" Naruto bellowed, "It's Uzumaki time. Believe it!"

I turned to see Kiba was Naruto's opponent. "Oh, this should be a good match."

Kiba jumped into the arena, ecstatic. "Don't get cocky Kiba! Naruto's not a deadlast anymore!" I shouted.

"No way," Kiba said, "no way somebody as dumb as Naruto could ever beat me."

"I'll make you eat those words Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hayate swept his hand through the air, so Kiba pulled out two pokescrolls, and Akamaru leapt to the ground. Kiba summoned Blue and Cadmium, his poochyena duo. "How do you like these odds?" Kiba taunted.

Naruto summoned Kage, his Riolu, and it crossed its arms, summoning two shadow clones, which Naruto himself matched. "I'll take 'em any day of the week!"

Kiba grinned, and threw down a barrage of smoke bombs, completely obscuring the entire field. The sounds of battle could be heard coming from the arena, and since Naruto's grunts of pain were all I had to go on, I gathered it wasn't going well for him in there. "Kiba's nose is going to give him an edge in a "blind" battle," May supposed, "I'm not seeing Naruto coming out of this with a win."

"Don't _ever_ underestimate Naruto," I declared with a chuckle.

Naruto and Kage ran out of the smoky area, looked at each other, and nodded. Naruto summoned a clone, which transformed into Akamaru, and Kage ran back into the smoke, eyes closed, paws glowing. Kiba, Blue, and Cadmium ran out of the smoke, and saw Naruto supposedly holding Akamaru, so Kiba threw a kunai at Naruto.

Kage, in the smoke, had subdued the actual Akamaru, and performed a substitution jutsu with his capture, so Naruto and his clone traded places with the actual Akamaru. Kiba's kunai nicked Akamaru on the side. "What just happened?" Kiba demanded.

A blue glow came from within the smoke, and then two demon wind shuriken flew out of the smoke, completely missing Kiba and his pack, but the two shuriken were then guided by ninja wire to redirect at the packs from the side.

Blue and Cadmium leapt into the air, and bit the blades as the spun, stopping them cold. "Whoa!" May exclaimed, "That was a trained maneuver. Had to be!"

"What just happened?" Temari walked over and asked.

"Naruto's Pokémon is a Riolu, which can sense the chakra of the Pokémon and people around it," I explained, "So while the smoke kept Naruto from attacking, it didn't stop Kage. Kage's in the driver's seat right now."

Then the two shuriken dropped their transformation, Blue and Cadmium both having a bite of Naruto clone leg, but the clones threw shuriken before they dissipated, which caught Kiba on either shoulder.

Kiba shouted in pain, and retreated away from the rapidly dissipating smoke. He reached into his pouch, and pulled out a handful of soldier pills. He tossed one to each of his pack, and ate one himself. Akamaru turned red, Blue turned blue, and Cadmium, of course, turned yellow. "We're just getting started!" Kiba shouted.

Kage's paws glowed with chakra, and Naruto summoned shadow clones, "Bring it!" they shouted in unison.

Kiba pulled the kunai out of his shoulders and his pack moved in blurs to surround Naruto and Kage. Naruto's kunai clattered to the ground, where they transformed into two clones of Kage. "How many times is he going to do the same trick?" Temari asked.

"How many times is it going to work?" I retorted.

Blue and Cadmium moved in to attack, but the Kage clones leapt through the air, and used Force Palm to slam the two Poochyenas into the tile, shattering the arena floor. "Oh!" May shouted and covered her eyes.

Kiba and Akamaru came down on the clones with kunai and fangs, dissipating them, but Blue and Cadmium were knocked out. "We… we're not done yet!"

Akamaru leapt onto Kiba's head, and Kiba shouted, "Man-Beast Mimicry!"

Kiba and Akamaru transformed to share certain traits. They ended up looking like Kiba, but with fangs and claws. Kage rolled his eyes, and transformed into Naruto. "I get the feeling that's not the same thing…" I muttered.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted, and he and Akamaru spun at cyclonic speeds, winding through the air itself to drill into Kage.

The initial blow broke Kage's transformation technique, but he was able to counter with Force Palm immediately after, sending the duo into the arena floor, again to great destructive effect. When they stopped, Naruto delivered an axe kick to either Kiba or Akamaru, I'd lost track of which was which, it was whichever one of them was on top following their technique.

The blow kept them on the ground, where Kage molded chakra, and then unleashed a barrage of Arm Thrusts straight down, using chakra to get to both Kiba and Akamaru with each blow. After five hits, Kiba and Akamaru were out for the count.

Hayate grunted with surprise, and said, "The winner is Naruto."

Naruto leapt up, and I gave him a high five. "I told Kiba not to underestimate you."

The number one knucklehead hyperactive ninja beamed back at me. "Kage and I did it together."

Hayate tossed Kiba back up to his team, and then looked over to the board. The name section flashed three times, and came up with Hilda and Tenten. "Ugh, free pass," I groaned.

"That Leaf girl doesn't look like much, given, but shouldn't you root for her?" Temari asked.

"No Pokémon, no chance," May said, "Not against them."

"Pokémon are powerful," Temari muttered, "We should work on that."

"I'd be glad to show you sometime," I said, "Sand and Leaf are allies after all. I'll ask my sensei about it."

She gave me an odd look. "We're rivals in this tournament."

I shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, but afterwards we should be friends, right?"

Temari didn't answer, which was odd, so I looked back to the match. Hilda had summoned a steel ant Pokémon, Durant apparently, and although Tenten was throwing a barrage of weapons at her enemy, Durant was using its magnetic skill set to attract all the weapons to its body, where they did no damage. I shuddered, "That is not a match, that's a rout."

"How many types of Pokémon are there?" Temari asked.

I shrugged. "We used to think there were a hundred and fifty different species, but we've never really stopped discovering them. Nobody knows. A few years ago the fairy type, and entirely new subset of Pokémon we never knew about, showed up out of nowhere."

"721 different species…" May mused, "Last time I checked."

"And you've memorized every single one?" Temari asked, jaw slack.

"We meet new Pokémon all the time," May answered, "But I think it's safe to say we know most of them."

"Three extra years in the academy," I said, "Woot."

Hilda stopped messing around and appeared behind Tenten, chopped the girl's neck, knocking her out. "That wasn't even fair," I growled.

May puffed out her cheeks in frustration, "That wasn't even fun to watch."

Temari was still staring at me. "Like what you see?" I asked. "Cause you know you could take a picture, it'll last longer."

She smiled at me, a hint of malicious intent behind it, "You're cocky," she said, and walked away.

"You know you like it!" I called after her, and May and I high-fived.

The next match came up on the board: Neji Hyuuga vs. Hinata Hyuuga.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch 19

Hinata I'd met, but didn't really know, whereas Neji I'd only heard the reputation of. Without Pokémon, I didn't think it would have been much of a fight, but as it was… "Should be interesting," I said, leaning on the rail.

"H-hello, Brother," Hinata stammered, eyes down.

"I _never_ thought I'd face up against you," Neji said, eyes locked on Hinata.

"Tough draw," May mused.

Kakashi sensei cleared his throat, "They're not actually brother and sister. They're just members of the same clan. Hinata is from the main branch of the family, where Neji is from the side branch."

"I doubt that makes it any easier," Sakura said, "I feel for them."

Neji was staring at Hinata, and I got a good look at him. His eyes were hard to read, but he was fighting the urge to openly smirk. "He wants this," I said, "He wants to fight her badly. Why?"

"There's been a lot of tension between the main branch and the side branch," May said, "I know that much, so this… isn't hard for Neji. It's an excuse to work out his anger."

Hayate fought through wracking, gurgling coughs, "Begin."

"A word of advice, Hinata: quit." Neji spat, "You're not meant to be a ninja."

"You're too quiet," Neji continued, "You have no desire to fight. The only reason you're here is so you don't disappoint your teammates. This is all about individuals now. Quit. They don't need you anymore."

"This guy's a jerk." I declared, "I hope Hinata makes him choke on his venomous tongue."

"Maybe I am all those things," Hinata whispered, "But I didn't do this for Shino, or Kiba. I did this because I wanted to know if I've changed. I want to be better than I am, don't you understand that brother?"

Neji narrowed his eyes, "Better than you know. But our natures and our destinies cannot be changed. A failure like you can only be exactly that: a failure."

Naruto gripped the railing nearby, rage written on his face. Neji didn't stop, "Just like I, a genius from the side branch, can be nothing more than a servant to the main branch."

Hinata shook with fear, and I looked again at Neji. He looked scary. The veins around his eyes popped out of his skin, and he was giving Hinata this withering glare. "I see everything HInata. Your eyes are looking everywhere but me. Darting around the room. I wonder… are you thinking about how much you've suffered in the past, or how much I'm about to make you hurt?"

"That does it!" Naruto shouted, "Who the hell do you think you are to tell her what she can or can't be!? Show him how much you've improved Hinata!"

The room's attention had shifted from the match to Naruto, and for once, that wasn't what he wanted. "Are you kidding me? Show him what's up Hinata or I'll jump down there and do it for you!"

"You don't need Naruto Hinata!" May called, "You're not alone, remember?!"

Hinata looked down for a moment, and then looked back up, a new resolve in her eyes. "You're right," she said, "my Pokémon has made me stronger, I know it!"

"Yeah!" Naruto and I shouted.

Hinata summoned Lady, her Ralts, and adopted a fighting stance. I expected punches to be thrown, but they fought with their open palms, each blow sending out a burst of chakra into the air. Their exchange was so fast I had trouble keeping up with it, but it looked evenly paced for a moment.

Then Hinata missed what could have been a critical blow. However, while Neji took a step back, Lady touched her hands to her head and unleashed a stream of psychic energy, knocking Neji over. "That's how you do it!" May whooped.

Neji leapt back up, and attacked, but I'd never seen anybody fight like they did. They were moving too fast for me to keep up with who landed more blows. When they separated, Lady set up a nonaggression sphere, and Hinata panted inside it.

Neji circled around it, looking for a way in. "They're not even talking," Sakura said, "but Lady is totally in sync with Hinata."

I gave her a look, "Pokémon and trainer get in sync when they train every day. Lady and Hinata must spend a lot of time together. Maybe you should train Flower and Tantrum instead of groom them."

Sakura stuck out her tongue at me, and we turned back to the match. Hinata took one final deep breath, and dashed out of the barrier at Neji. However, her opponent waited until the nonaggression zone dropped, and then attacked Lady.

The Ralts was small, and tough, but Neji was more than a match, his arms moving so fast I could barely see them. Lady fell over, eyes moving, but body apparently totally unable to adjust. Hinata went concave, like she was taking a blow to the stomach, and started to careen backwards, trying to get her balance.

"Oh no," I whispered.

"What? What happened?" Naruto demanded.

"When a Pokémon and their trainer are as in sync as Hinata and Lady, the can feel each other's pain," May explained, "Neji recognized that."

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata found her feet, but not in time to mount a defense, and Neji was on her in the next second. He hit her right in the chest with his open palm, and Hinata's entire body shook for a moment, then she fell over, blood leaking out of the corners of her mouth. I averted my eyes, and my own heart beat seemed irregular to me.

It hurt me to watch someone as sweet as Hinata hurt like that. Then, something amazing happened, and Lady began to glow, and evolved into Kirlia. Kirlia dashed at Neji, and spun like ballerina pushing chakra out in all directions.

The chakra sent Neji flying, and Kirlia set up a nonaggression zone, and Hinata stood up. "I… I can change!" she insisted, "And if _I_ can change… then anything and anybody can change!"

Neji was clearly shaken, but he steeled himself. "This is an exercise in futility!"

"I don't believe that," Hinata gasped, "the way things are… I… I want to change them. But even as much as I've improved, I'm not strong enough. Maybe… maybe together?"

"What?" Naji demanded.

"What the branch family has endured is wrong!" Hinata's voice was wavering, but she put all she had behind it, "We're the future of the Hyuuga clan and together we can change the clan."

"Words aren't enough!" Neji shouted, "Not after all I've suffered."

Hinata frowned, and coughed up more blood, but she stood tall. "Then I'll show you."

Lady's nonaggression sphere dropped, and Hinata dashed around Neji counter clockwise, and initially Neji pursued, but then Lady dashed in, and mimicking Hinata's fighting, initiated an intense gentle fist bout.

Hinata feinted a dash at Neji from behind, which he of course saw with his byakugan, so he pulled away from Lady, which was the plan, because right when he was one step away, Lady encased him in psychic energy. Hinata stopped, and panted, "Forgive me for this, but I need to show you how strong I've become."

She ran in, and dropped into an unusual stance just in front of him. With incredible efficiency, Hinata began to poke at Neji with chakra infused fingers, and despite the psychic shell keeping him immobilized, his expression was one of pain. The last blow landed right in the center of Neji's chest just as Lady's shell faded, and Neji himself flew backwards with the force of all the blows at once. "Oh!" I shouted, flinchy because while I did not like the guy by any means, but that _had_ to hurt.

May whistled, "The body has sixty four chakra points, and I think Hinata just hit every single one of them."

"What's that mean?" Naruto asked.

"Total body shut down," May responded.

Despite all that, Neji managed to look up, and gasp, "How did one Pokémon make you this strong?"

"It wasn't the Pokémon, brother," Hinata said, "I can't stand being as weak as I was. There's someone like me, a failure, you'd call him, who I've been watching. He doesn't let any of his setbacks get to him, he always smiling, and I… I want to be like that. Do you understand? I need to be strong to walk with him."

"Who?" he asked.

Hinata blushed, and whispered something I couldn't hear, but I looked at Naruto. He was really stirring things up. I patted him on the back, and he turned to me, "What?"

I smiled, "Nothing bud, you just keep doin' you."

He arched an eyebrow at me, "Don't be such a weirdo Brendan. Watch the match."

Hinata offered her hand out to Neji, and said, "If a weakling like me can change enough to beat a genius like you… don't you think we could change the clan, together?"

Neji's eyes watered, and he shook his head to fight it, "You… you really mean that, don't you? You don't know the first thing of my pain, but you… think you can make it go away? It isn't that easy."

"K-Kurenai-sensei says that nothing worth having is easy," Hinata retorted, "But I won't give up on getting stronger or you, brother."

Hinata's hand stayed out, but all Neji did was set his head back down on the ground. "I can't move my arms, stop offering out your hand. I guess I'll choose to believe in you anyway."

Hinata beamed, and then collapsed too. "Double knock out," Hayate said, and stretchers came out for the Hyuuga.

"At least Hinata took that Neji guy down a few pegs," Naruto muttered darkly, "if she hadn't… oh, I'd have laid down a serious beat down."

May snorted, "Yeah… right. Neji'd kick your sorry butt."

Naruto and May began to bicker, but I watched the match board. Temari and Tsurugi came up. I nudged May, "Guess who's up?"

May pushed Naruto away and said, "Eye Candy now. Narutard later."

Temari leapt down into the arena, and drew her gigantic fan. "Those legs!" May exclaimed and followed with a wolf whistle.

Temari turned around, and gave May a confused look, which caused me to nearly collapse in a fit of giggles. The sand ninja rolled her eyes, and turned back to Tsurugi. Hayate was coughing too hard to say anything so he waved frantically at the two, starting the match.

Tsurugi ran at her and leapt in the air, straight over her, with the goal of getting behind her, but Temari unfolded her fan a third of the way and sent him tumbling back the way he came through the air. "That was quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever seen," she spat, "are you so blind that you can't see my _giant_ fan? Did you think I used it to cool myself down?"

"She's got a mean streak," May noted.

I nodded, "It's hot."

May narrowed her eyes at me, "You, Brendan, are one sick puppy."

Tsurugi threw a few shuriken at Temari, but she blew those away too. "This is boring," she declared, "I'm going to beat you now."

She fully unfurled her fan, and blew a gust of air at her opponent. Tsurugi dodge rolled to the side, but the gust of wind actually followed him, pushing him up into the air. "Chakra infused wind?" Sakura asked, "You can do that?!"

Tsurugi, even in the middle of a cyclone of chakra-wind, threw a kunai up through the eye of the vortex, and it arched over, before cutting Temari in the arm that wielded her fan. "Don't get cocky!" I shouted.

She didn't pay me any mind, but rather swung her fan again, shooting another gale at Tsurugi, driving him into the wall, and knocking him unconscious. The leaf ninja fell hard, but his body just sort of flopped on the ground limply, without the sound of crunching bones. "Is that kid made of rubber?" May asked.

I shrugged, "He's not getting up. Win for the Hidden Sand."

Temari folded fan and swung it at Tsurugi's torso like a bat for good measure, and he just took the blow, so she returned to her team. "Match goes to Temari of the Sand," Hayate said, "Prepare for the next match."

After she reached the balcony, she checked her arm out. The cut wasn't that bad, but her face was red with rage, so I reasoned she was more upset about the wound happening than the wound itself. "Oran berry would take care of that," I said, "Good thing I gave you one, right?"

She reached into the pouch she kept at the small of her back, and pulled out the oran. "Peel it," I advised, "the rind isn't bad for you, but it tastes like cardboard."

She pulled out a kunai, and put the berry to her mouth. "Seriously?" Kankurou asked, "You're gonna eat something a rival gave you?"

"The preliminaries are already over for me," she said, "What's the harm?"

"What if it's a slow acting poison?" he demanded.

I put my hands behind my head and sighed, "I gave you three those before I knew about the chunin exams, sheesh."

Temari ate the oran from the inside out, and the cut on her arm disappeared almost instantly. She looked at the rind of the berry, and pocketed it. "Not bad tasting either. Thanks."

Kankurou subsided, and Temari walked over. "What's up?" I asked.

"I don't know," she countered, "What was up with the whistling?"

May raised her hand, her eyes on the next match, "That was me. I like your legs."

I chuckled, and then hid my mouth behind my hands, "Sorry, but she's funny."

She smirked just a bit, her right eyebrow climbed up her head, and she asked, "You don't like my legs?"

My hands dropped, and I shook my head, "That's not what I said, they're great. I'm actually more of an ass man, anyway."

Temari chuckled, "It's fun to mess with you."

"Cocky is a good look on you," I said.

Her smirk didn't fall away, but her other eyebrow joined the first one high up on her forehead, and she asked, "Are you hitting on me?"

"I will seduce you with my awkward," I stated while wiggling my eyebrows.

She laughed and smiled, "You're awful!"

"You like it though," I countered.

"Do not," she insisted.

"Then why are you blushing?" I bluffed.

The reaction was instant, and her face flushed with color, "I… what? I'm not blushing."

I grinned from ear to ear, "Haha! I see what you meant about it being fun to mess with pretty people."

Her face was scarlet, but her glare was withering. If she wasn't still fighting a smirk I would have been afraid. "Oh, by the tail of Mew," May swore, "would you two just make out already?"

Temari eyed me, and then said, "You know… I bet if you decided to work with the Hidden Sand, instead of the Hidden Leaf, we'd give you an actual headband. Actually incorporate you into the ninja corps. We can't match the pay, granted, but our training is far and away the superior of the two."

I smiled, "I'm sure the, uh, view, is spectacular too, but my friends are here. Besides, we're allies, right, shouldn't be an issue."

She smiled, "How about you think about it?"

She returned to her team, sashaying her hips. She knew I was watching. I grabbed my chest and groaned, "That's fighting dirty."

May shrugged, "You missed one hell of a match."

I turned to see Kankurou standing above the last, and now also unconscious sound ninja. Kankurou had a giant ninjutsu puppet draped over his shoulders and a giant grin. "Puppetry?" I asked.

"Super interesting," May declared, "and crafty. Wouldn't want to face that guy."

"That good, huh?" I asked.

May sighed, "They'd be terrifying with Pokémon."

"They're terrifying _without_ Pokémon," Sakura interjected.

The match board flashed three times, and revealed the names Shino and Choji. "Kick butt Choji!" May bellowed.

Choji leapt down, and Shino followed. "Bugs versus brawn." I said, "Let's see…"

"Choji takes it, any day." May insisted.

The two leaf genin squared off and Hayate said, "Begin."

Chouji pulled out his pokescroll, and summoned a Meditite. "Go Chef!" May called.

"Chef?" I asked, incredulous.

May gave me a thumbs-up. "He serves up cans of ass-whoopin'!"

Shino nodded to Chef, and pulled out two pokescrolls, summoning a Ninjask and Shedinja. "Whoa." I interlocked my hands behind my head, "Shedinja has wonderguard."

"What's wonderguard?" Naruto asked.

"Only super-effective moves can hurt or even affect Shedinja," I said.

Choji flew through some hand-signs, and his torso expanded into a giant ball. "Body expansion jutsu!" He shouted and his head and limbs retracted into the ball.

Chef leapt up, and used its psychic powers to float just on top of the ball. Choji began to spin forward, and then shot off like a cannonball at Shino. Shino dove out of the way, and got back to his feet, but Chef hadn't taken his eyes off the enemy genin.

Chef's eyes glowed blue, and Choji, still in ball form, floated off the ground, and maintaining speed, turned to face Shino's new position. "What a combination!" I exclaimed.

Choji took off again, and Shino dodged again, but this time Drone shot off at Chef. Just before Drone reached his target, Chef grabbed Choji and swung him through the air like he was made of balsa wood, slamming his trainer into the enemy Pokémon.

Drone flipped through the air with bent wings, colliding with the ground, and staying there. Shino recalled his first Pokémon, and then pointed at Choji, shouting, "Husk! Shadow Ball!"

Shedinja, Husk apparently, gathered unseen shadow material from the air around it, confined it in a purple ball, and unleashed it through Choji's enlarged form to crash into Chef. When the ball touched Chef, the shadow matter exploded out, covering the Meditite.

A faint scream filtered through the shadow material, and Chef dropped to the floor too. Choji stopped spinning and stared at his fallen Pokémon. "Chef?" he called.

"Finish it!" Shino shouted, "Silver Wind!"

Husk turned around so the hole in the back of its shell appeared, and sliver powder flowed out of it like a river. The dust swirled around Choji, keeping a slight distance, and then, when the dust stopped flowing out of Husk, all of it flew at Choji, briefly giving him the appearance of a glittering silver statue, before exploding off him and disappearing in the air.

Choji's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed. "That… looked like it really hurt." Sakura mumbled.

Hayate stepped away from Shino and said, "Winner: Shino Aburame."

The match board flashed, and revealed: Sakura and Ino.

AN: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 20

Sakura and Ino got down to the arena, and began a quiet, but intense looking conversation. "What do you think they're talking about?" I asked May.

May clicked her tongue. "They used to be best friends before they started liking Sasuke. Now they're enemies, or maybe rivals. This is the first chance they've had to really go all out against each other since they graduated. Ino has grown so much, but I've never really spent time with Sakura. How is she?"

I shrugged, "She… cut her hair in the Forest of death, apparently. She's walking differently. But up until then she wasn't exactly the most attentive student."

"Then Ino takes this, easy." May whispered and turned her attention back to the match.

I looked into Sakura's eyes as she adjusted her forehead protector into the traditional style. "I don't know. There's a steel in her that I haven't seen before. Sometimes all it takes to change somebody is a single moment, y'know?"

"Don't let her blonde girl exterior fool you," May insisted, "Ino's strong."

I pulled a five ryo bill from my back, "Five says you're wrong."

May pulled out a matching bill, "Deal."

Just as Ino and Sakura began to exchange blows, I felt a finger tap my shoulder. I turned around, and Steven-sensei was back. "How's Wally?" I demanded.

May jumped to her feet and joined me in the interrogation effort. "Where is he?"

I heard the cries of Pokémon behind me, but nothing was as important as what Steven-sensei was about to say. "Wally is stable," he said, "and he's going to make a full recovery. Wally's not exactly a sturdy guy and that blow shook him up in more ways than one, yeah?"

"It was… just such a dirty move." May said.

"All's fair in love and war May," Steven-sensei said, "but what's important is that he's okay. Focus on that, but first we have something to discuss."

May and I shared a look. "What is it?" she asked.

"Hilda of the Hidden cloud," Steven-sensei said, "I thought I remembered her name. I was close enough. I think she's related to Hilbert of the Hidden Cloud."

"Is that someone we should know?" I asked.

"He was a genin who won the chunin exam last year, so I wouldn't expect you to know him. He and the rest of his squad, all Pokémon trainers, took the exams by storm last year," Steven-sensei clarified, "Hilbert, N, and Iris, of the Hidden Cloud, are the reason you three were hired. Raikage sent Hilbert's sister to prove that even though he wasn't the only name in Pokémon training anymore, his ninja are still the best."

"I missed those matches," May said, "I was out doing research with dad. Were you there Steven-sensei?"

"Iris is the youngest dragon master I've ever seen," Steven-sensei looked up at the ceiling, "only a genin, but she had a fully evolved Haxorus jumping through hoops for her. It was an amazing display." His eyes narrowed, "N was quite a bit more terrifying. He can talk to Pokémon. Convinced my Skarmory to lend a hand with his final match." Finally, he let out a sigh, "But Hilbert was another beast entirely. He had three Pokémon trained to fight in perfect synchronization without the need for words or a psychic link. Plus he could already borrow his Pokémon's moves."

"Borrow Pokémon moves?" May asked.

I pointed a finger at him, "Like you did at Mt. Chimney with U-turn."

Steven-sensei nodded affirmative. "Advanced technique. Sign of a prodigy, yeah?"

"Teach me," I demanded, "If this Hilbert guy can do it, so can I!"

"Brendan can do it," May said evenly, "He's the best in our year. Not Sasuke, or Neji can take him."

"After the preliminaries," Steven-sensei said, making a placating gesture with his hands, "I was going to insist on it myself. You, May, will train with Guy and Lee. I've already arranged it."

Our plan for after the preliminaries resolved, we turned back to the match. Sakura and Ino were at their respective physical limits. They stood apart, Tantrum was unconscious off to the side, Flower was barely standing, and Ino's Roselia, Allure, was scratched to all hell. "Take Down!" Sakura shouted and charged.

"Poison sting!" Ino shouted and did the same.

Sakura and Ino got in the same punch on each other, knocking each other back, Allure shot off a poison sting, which Flower took to the forehead, but ignored, slamming all its weight and power into its enemy. All four fighters ended up in a pile together, unmoving. "Quadruple Knockout?" I asked.

Steven-sensei took the five ryo bills from May and I, saying, "House wins."

Asuma and Kakashi leapt down, recalled the various Pokémon, collected their respective genin, and returned to the balcony. The match board flashed, and my name came up, along with Bianca. "I'm going to enjoy this," I muttered darkly.

"Don't underestimate her," May said as I jumped down.

When I reached the arena floor, Steven-sensei said, "Don't play with your prey!"

Bianca took the stairs down, and bowed to me, "I hope we have a great match."

She looked nervous, with wide eyes, and she was avoiding a fighting stance. I decided she was messing with me. I summoned Yin and Yang, and drew my sword. "I'm going to make Cheren regret how he treated Wally."

"What?" she asked me.

I looked up to Cheren, and said, "Watch closely. Think real hard about whether or not this will amuse Raikage!"

I dashed at Bianca, and slashed through her with my sword, but my blade drifted through her like she was a ghost. I tried again, with similar results, so I bit my lip until I pierced skin, and with the pain, Bianca's genjutsu faded. "Tricks? That's all you got?" I asked her accusingly.

She took a step back, laughed nervously, and summoned three Pokémon. I pulled out my pokedex to identify them as Servine, Simipour, and Darmanitan. It would be easy to beat her with Katon, Suiton, and Mokuton, but I didn't want to reveal them in the preliminaries.

In the three days I'd been sitting in the tower as the rest of the genin fought through the forest of death I'd been training Yin and Yang, and they had the moves I needed to seal the deal. I pointed both of my fists at Darmanitan, and my Pokémon blew Gust attacks at it. It was a fire/fighting type, so the gusts tore at it hard, sending it barreling backwards into Bianca.

With Darmanitan at least down, and Bianca fretting underneath it, I focused on her remaining Pokémon. I pointed two fingers with my right hand at Simipour, and my fist with my left at Servine.

Yang, seeing two fingers on my right, fluttered over to Simipour, and attached itself to the enemy Pokémon. Yang began to suck life energy from Simipour, who collapsed to its knees. Yin turned its attention to Servine, and continued its gust attacks.

Servine spun around, sending leaves flying at Yin, but the leaves were diverted from their path by the constant gust. Where the leaves hit the concrete around me, however, they cut through it like butter. "Oh my," I muttered, then shouted, "Priority Servine! Double Gust!"

Yang sucked the last of Simipour's life energy, dropping it like a sack of potatoes, and whipped up another gust, directing it as commanded. Servine buckled under the attacks, collapsing to the ground, and I started my approach on Bianca.

She had just managed to get Darmanitan off her, and Yin and Yang began to beat it down into the arena floor again. She scrambled away from me, into the wall. I tilted my head, and stared at her. "Are you messing with me?" I asked, "This isn't a genjutsu, you're just weak. How did you make it this far?"

"I… I didn't know that you were the son of Norman," she squeaked.

I narrowed my eyes, and pointed four fingers on my right hand at her. Yang fluttered over, and doused Bianca in a flurry of Stun Spores. She gasped, breathing them in, and the effect was instantaneous: the spores set off all of her nerves, inducing pain so strong it incapacitated her. "Wrong name to bring up," I whispered, grabbed her by the arm, and threw her out from under the balcony into the middle of the arena.

"Get up Bianca!" Hilda shouted.

I walked over to where she convulsed, and shouted back, "She can't! Stun Spore."

I looked down at Bianca, and saw that I had a choice before me. I could take the high road, and ask for Hayate to call the match, because she couldn't win, or I could take the low road, and repay Cheren for his treatment of Wally. I turned around, and looked at Cheren. His posture betrayed nothing, nor his face, but behind his glasses I could see his eyes were worried. "You beat my friend, which is fair," I said, "but then you humiliated him, which was uncalled for. You must really want to impress Raikage. Live up to Hilbert, maybe?"

Anger raced through Cheren's expression, quickly masked. Hilda was not so secretive. "What are you doing you bastard?!" she demanded.

I drew my sword and pointed it at Bianca's neck. "Don't talk to me like that." I quietly insisted.

A whimper of pain and fear escaped Bianca. That rocked me. I sheathed my sword, "Just wanted to get your attention, don't worry." I said, "so listen up. You're not going to live up to Hilbert. I'm going to send you two back to Raikage with your tails between your legs. The Hidden Leaf is the name in Pokémon ninjutsu now, hear me?"

I grabbed Bianca's head, and slammed my own into hers, knocking her out, and easing her pain. I pointed at Cheren, "She gets off free, but if I come up against you in the next round, you're dead for what you did to Wally," I dragged my thumb across my neck for effect, "I mean that."

I turned around to return to my balcony, but Lord Hokage waved me over with two fingers. The match board began to flash anew, so I hustled over to him. He nodded as I approached, "I'd heard you were good. I'm glad to see that it's true," he began puffing with his pipe, "Raikage and I see eye to eye on very few things, so I don't mind your threats, quite the contrary as a matter of fact… but, a word of advice, young one: it is often far more impressive to beat an opponent soundly without making even a passing remark. Your point would have been better made without your monologue there."

This man was called "The Professor" for good reason, it seemed. "Noted," I said, and bowed my head.

He smiled wide at me, "You're a credit to our village, and we're lucky to have you."

I returned to the balcony, and watched Gaara of the Sand, and Rock Lee begin to face off. Cheren was waiting for me. "What?" I asked.

"Now it's personal," he said.

"Your boy started this!" May exclaimed.

"And you collecting our friend's forehead protectors?" Cheren demanded.

"You talk too much shit!" May exclaimed.

Cheren put his hands on his hips, and then flung green powder at me. I inhaled on reflex, and my eyelids got heavy. "Sleep powder…" I murmured.

Steven-sensei moved to intervene, but not before Cheren hit me with purple powder, and my lungs began to burn, even as I lost consciousness. The last thing I remember seeing was Steven-sensei grabbing him by the neck, and delivering a savage body blow.

I woke up a few hours later in a hospital bed. "How bad was it?" I asked.

Steven-sensei smiled, May sighed with relief, and Wally, in various bandages sitting in a nearby chair with his right leg in a cast, chuckled, then moaned. At the foot of the bed was my mother, eyes red, and lip quivering. "I'm good," I said, smiling, "just a sneaky move from a douchey guy."

My father stood by the door, nodded to me, "See, I told you… he's fine," and he left.

My mother, on the other hand, ran round my bed and gave me a crushing hug. "Can't… breathe," I croaked.

Steven-sensei tapped her shoulder, and said, "Caroline, dear, Brendan is awake, and given an antidote. He's fine and we have training to begin, right Brendan?"

I nodded frantically, and my mother let me go. "You kick that other boy's ass, you hear me Brendan?" she nearly shouted, and then fled the room, tears streaming down her face.

May and I shared a glance, and I said, "I think this village's crazy is spreading to her."

She shrugged. "It's all I've ever known. Alright, you're good, so I'm going to start training for the next stage."

I kicked my legs free of the hospital sheets, grabbed my clothes from the nearby nightstand, and began dressing. "How did the last match go?" I asked, "Gaara and that bowl-cut guy, right?"

Steven-sensei's expression darkened. "That was a hard match to watch. That Lee kid put it all out there, but it was barely enough to hurt Gaara. Lee may never recover."

"Can he really manipulate sand?" Wally asked.

"Yes," Steven-sensei said, "We've got a lot to train for, let's get started, eh, Brendan?"

I pulled my back on, checked my sword, and my pokescrolls, "I'm ready."

AN: Thanks for reading! Reviews? Anybody?


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21

The day after the preliminaries, I was rudely awoken by Skarmory, tapping on my window. I dressed, and grabbed my Pokémon, but this time, I left through the window, and Skarmory flew me to Steven-sensei. He was waiting for me in the berry grove, with an elderly man I didn't recognize. When we landed Skarmory took back to the sky. "She's going to watch over May for me," Steven-sensei explained, then pointed to the other man, "This is Wattson. He's going to be training you."

Wattson was short, portly, with thinning silver hair, yellow cargo pants, a brown bomber jacket, and an easy grin. "I build cities for Devon. Working on my new baby: Mauville, but when Steven Stone calls, you show up, am I right?"

"Sure," I responded, and offered my hand, "or his Pokémon will simply grab you and take you to him."

Wattson let out a hearty belly laugh that lasted a little too long. I got the vibe that my joke was only part of the reason he was actually laughing. There was a sinister undertone to it, like a mad scientist's laugh. "Lemmie see you and one of your Pokémon." He insisted.

I released Katon, and returned his pokescroll to the scroll pouch on its strap, but before I could say anything about my Pokémon, Wattson chuckled, "Ha! Katon, the Combusken. Your first Pokémon, correct?"

I looked over to Steven-sensei, who was smiling, "Do you have a dossier on me that you like to share with strangers?" I asked

"He only shares with old bats that he's known for a while," Wattson corrected, "and what's important is that I can see that you and Katon are pretty tight… but you could be tighter. If you're going to be able to borrow his moves you'll need to be like two sides of the same coin."

"How do I do that?" I asked, and Katon and I shared a look.

"Survive," Wattson answered.

Katon shrugged, and we looked back to Wattson. He grinned too wide, and stepped to the right, revealing a lever that I'd never seen before. He pulled the lever, and the ground fell out from beneath me. I spread my arms, catching the edges of a concealed trap hole. I'd like to write about the clever quip I came up with, but I kinda went, "Aaaahhhhhhh!"

I looked down, and could see nothing but Katon hanging onto my leg for dear life. Steven-sensei reached over the hole, passed my arms, unclipped my bag and pulled it off me. He pulled out Katon's scroll, and recalled him. "I'll need to hold these for the moment," he said, and pulled a bamboo blowgun from the folds of his yukata.

"Please don't," I begged… to no avail.

Steven-sensei pointed the business end of the blowgun at my neck, and shot a dart into my neck. Instantly my eyelids got heavy, my grip failed, and I fell into the darkness below. I don't remember hitting the ground, but I slept without dreams.

Horrible, lancing pain from the tip of my right toes to my shoulder brought me back to consciousness. My eyes shot open, and the sight of a jungle greeted me. I didn't know where I was, but the trees were hundreds of feet larger than the berry trees, it was humid, and sunlight drifted down from between the leaves.

The pain in my side wasn't abating, so I tried to look down, but Mokuton stopped me, and pressed my head back down. "What is it?" I asked.

My Pokémon's eyes were wide with worry, so when he went down to the problem area, I raised my head again and looked down. There was a wooden spear sticking into the area of my torso just to the right of my abs, and out of my right inner thigh. In pure shock I tried to move myself away from the injury, the spear caught on a rock, causing it to shift, and the resulting pain was so great I was once again knocked out.

When I awoke, I could feel a respectable pool of blood beneath me. I was lightheaded, and the color had drained from my vision. Only Mokuton was his normal, vibrant green, and it hurt my eyes. He grabbed my head, and pressed his forehead to mine. He was there for me, our bond was strong, but I wasn't letting him in.

I'd been more than comfortable pushing my rage on him, but I instinctively pushed his worry out of my mind. Mokuton, however, didn't take no for an answer, and pushed harder, until I could feel his body like I felt mine.

He turned our attention to a nearby Marill, dancing just out of reach. I could feel the chakra and life force running through it, and my own wavering energy. They were compatible. My lightheadedness increased and I knew that if didn't take Marill's energy, I would die.

The handsigns came naturally, and when I held out my hand, the life energy flew from Marill to sit in the palm of my hand. Mokuton directed my hand to my mouth, and I drank it all in. It tasted like water when you were absolutely parched.

The colors came back, but I still had a spear in me. "Let's get it out," I said.

Mokuton grabbed a nearby branch and stuck it in my mouth. I bit down, and my Pokémon pulled the spear out. I flew through the handsigns again, and pulled another handful of energy from Marill, who collapsed. I drank in the energy, and I could feel my skin knit back together. When the last of the healing was done, I collapsed backwards and laid there in the bloody grass.

After a moment, I lurched up and checked on Marill. It was merely unconscious. "Good," I whispered to myself, and felt a fly land on my neck.

I slapped at it, but found something odd on my neck. I pulled it off to take a look at it, and found another sleep dart in my hand. I looked around, desperately trying to find Steven-sensei, but I fell asleep too fast.

Once again I slept dreamlessly, but then I was thrown, or maybe dropped, into cold water. All I know is that one moment I was asleep and the next I was totally surrounded by water. My eyes shot open, and I looked around.

I was in a metal box, absolutely filled with water, with no indicator of which direction was up or down. Suiton swam around me into my field of vision, and flipped through the water a few times. I felt the pure joy she felt through our bond, and I invited her to share more. She swam up to me, beamed, and took over. She had me breath in water, and then she shot water out of gills I am fairly certain I hadn't had a mere few moments before.

We swam around, utterly at home in this small box, and Suiton began to do flips, which I mimicked too for the fun of it. Then, four metal, spikey mines dropped into the tank below us.

They flashed yellow three times, and then electricity raced through the water. Being electrocuted, for those of you who haven't tried, is a lot like those trick pens that vibrate fast to simulate electrocution, but it's more powerful and all through your entire body, which really hurts on your insides.

Suiton, however, as a Water/Ground type, was entirely unaffected. Concern reached me through our bond, and I responded with indignity. We swam to the bottom of the tank, and once again the handsigns came naturally.

I molded my chakra in my stomach to be mud, and spat out an orb of it, which collided with one of the minds, engulfed it, and consequently it could no longer shock me. Suiton and I got rid of the other three mines in the same fashion.

Once we were done I gave Suiton my best smile, and felt a familiar prick on the side of my neck. I removed the dart, and was about to violently curse as sleep took me.

For the first time, I dreamt. I was warm, in blankets, at home, safe. It was great. Then the blankets got too warm, and I tried to kick them off, but got more tangled in them. Suddenly the blankets were restricting me, and I was virtually baking. I woke up in an oven.

Literally. I was inside a giant sized, sixty, by sixty, by sixty microwave oven. Katon shook me awake, and I absorbed his typing almost instantly. "Practice makes perfect," I said, "what are we doing here?"

Katon shifted our focus to two iron balls propped in between two of the metal bars that formed the "floor" of the oven, and then guided my vision up to the top right corner of the room, where there was a giant red and white target with a blue bull's-eye. A matching one was in the opposite side of the ceiling.

Katon proceeded to the iron ball, kicked it up into the air with one foot, spun and with his second foot kicked it at one of the targets. The bull's-eye flashed with blue light five times, and then faded. "We have to hit both targets?" I asked.

Katon's iron ball slid down the corner, and onto the grate, stopping just in front of him. We got back to back, took aim at our targets, and breathed for a moment. Katon chirped at me inquisitively, so I said, "Ready when you are."

Katon kicked his ball up, so I mimicked his movement. Then we kicked out, sending the iron balls into their targets. The blue lights went on, and didn't turn off. I lashed out with my right hand, grabbing a knock-out dart from the air. "I'm not that easy to trick!" I shouted, "Let's be civilized about this!"

A second dart flew into the back of my neck, "Damn you Steven-sensei…"

I woke up to Jiton tapping me absently. He formed our bond absently, but I cut it off, and pulled him through our bond. With my other Pokémon there hadn't been any dynamic changes to me, but when Jiton and I connected I underwent a drastic physical transformation.

My skin turned metal, all my joints turned into ball joints like an action figure, and I collapsed. Jiton focused my chakra to my brain, and my psychic abilities turned on. I pushed myself to my knees, and then stood up using pure telekinetic force.

Jiton and I were standing on a balcony, in a room with a bottomless pit, and a second balcony on the opposite wall, about fifty feet away. Jiton began to glide through the air, so I picked myself up, and floated along with him. It was too easy.

Hidden compartments on either side of us revealed kunai cannons. I sighed, and about a hundred kunai came at me from either side. Here's the thing though: I was steel too. Each of the kunai carried a bit of fore with them, so it just felt like I was getting punched really, really fast, but once the pain faded, I was no worse for wear.

We continued on our merry way, landing on the opposite balcony. "I'd like to see you hit me with a dart now!" I shouted at nowhere and everywhere.

Then a familiar Sableye, Nin, phased through the steel wall. He rummaged through his insides, found a golden coin with a string, and waved it before Jiton and I. We couldn't tear our eyes away from it, and fell asleep where we stood.

When I woke up, I was flesh and blood again, with Yin and Yang laying on my chest. I was on a forest floor again, but luckily I didn't have another spear through me. I opened myself to Yin and Yang, and they both filtered through to me.

I blinked and my eyes had become multi-faceted, I felt my new wings folded below me, and I'd gained a set of arms. Yang rolled me over to my stomach, and I tried to push myself up, only to trip on my new arms. I elected for a new tactic, and unfolded my wings. I buzzed up into the air, and looked around.

There was a hole in the sky, so I approached it. When I got there, I realized that I was still inside, and the walls of whatever room I was in were merely painted to look like sky. I went up through the hole, and arrived in the berry grove. I landed, and let go of the transformation. Only when I was back to normal did I feel just how close to exhaustion I was. Nearly all of my chakra was depleted from the trials I'd faced that day.

Wattson clapped me on the shoulder, and chuckled, "Steven said you were good, but that was better than good. That was great! Here: the Dynamo Badge. It'll give your Pokémon a nice little speed boost."

I took the badge, and Steven-sensei came into view with another man I didn't recognize. This third man was small, middle aged, balding and thick glasses. "This boy… is almost my equal in one, two, three ways! To beat five of my trick rooms so quickly…"

Steven-sensei gestured to the new guy, "This is the Trick Master, engineer of the challenge rooms you faced today."

I pointed to Wattson, "I thought you…"

"Wattson is the "idea guy," but I'm the brains who make those ideas happen," The Trick Master explained.

I nodded, "So you are the one who stuck a spear through me?"

The Trick Master wordlessly dropped a smoke bomb, and was gone. "If I find that guy," I panted, "he's dead."

Steven-sensei shrugged, "We had to push you to your limits. Think about it: you're done. The other genin have another week of grueling work to come up with some sort of new jutsu and you've mastered every move your Pokémon know, in one day."

"HE STUCK A SPEAR THROUGH ME!" I exclaimed, more indignant than mad.

Wattson laughed, waving at us over his shoulder, "I'm back to Mauville then, if it's all the same to you guys. Got a few new ideas for the electrical grid."

When he was gone, Steven-sensei smiled, and said, "I expect you to practice here with your Pokémon every day. Be careful not to burn the berry grove down. I'll be watching May from here on out."

He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and left my bag behind for me. I pulled it on, and recalled Yin and Yang to their scrolls. Moving my legs caused my muscles to spasm with shock, like they'd cramp at any moment, so I took my time on the staircase down. When I finally reached ground level, the first thing I saw was Old Lady's Kanae's, and my mouth watered.

As I walked over there, someone fell into step with me. I turned my head to see none other than Temari of the Sand. "Hey, how ya doin'?" I asked.

"You look like shit," she said, "I wonder who could have done that to you."

I did the math in my head, "Well, when you master around 20 new jutsu in one day… you end up looking like shit," I smiled wide, "You want to grab some of the best tea in the Land of Fire?"

She smiled, and kept walking with me, so we went into Kanae's. "Two iced teas!" I shouted as Temari and I sat in my usual booth.

"Iced tea?" she asked.

I beamed, "Trust me, uber refreshing."

She bit her lip, and then shrugged. The iced teas hit the table before she could say anything, so I gestured for her to try it. She took a sip, and her eyes widened a bit, "That is really refreshing," she mumbled.

"Imagine one of those on one of your hot desert days back home," I said slyly.

She tilted her head, "With a lid to keep the sand out, and a little sugar… oh yeah, this would hit the spot."

"Get this woman a Wally," I pointed to Kanae, who smiled, and rushed to appease me.

The slightest smirk pulled at the edges of Temari's mouth. "A Wally? That green haired kid has a drink named after him?"

"He hates it," I chuckled, "it's great."

Her Wally arrived, and I stirred my drink so she would too. She took a sip, closed her eyes, and moaned a little. "That is good," she said once she was finished with her sip.

"One part iced tea, one part lemonade," I explained, "Maybe you could convince Old Lady Kanae to let you make a franchise in the Hidden Sand."

She interlocked her fingers over her drink like a steeple. "Actually… that's why I'm here."

I grunted in surprise, "I didn't introduce you to Iced Tea?"

"You're technically a mercenary, right?" she asked, "A _sort of_ Hidden Leaf ninja?"

I blinked, "You want _me_ to start a franchise in the Hidden Sand?"

She shook her head, "Kazekage wants to make you a Hidden Sand ninja. We'll make you legit. No differentiation or "distinction." One of us."

I laughed nervously. "You and Kazekage talk a lot?"

She bowed her head in affirmative, "I'm his daughter."

I'm not proud of it, but I may have dribbled iced tea all over my front. Temari pointed _and_ laughed. She was _perfect_. "Just something to think about while you're training: End your contract with the Hidden Leaf and you'll be a Hidden Sand ninja. The pay isn't great, but our training is second to none. Plus… your father won't be able to mess with you in the Land of Wind."

I didn't know what to say to that, so Temari smiled, "Brendan… speechless. I like you better this way."

She finished her tea, stood up, walked over to me, kissed me on the cheek, and left. All the thoughts in my head were fighting for priority, and so I just sort of sat there, jaw slack. Then I got my bearings back. I rushed outside to Temari and thena round her, "You play dirty!"

She beamed at me, and my indignity melted away. "I play for keeps," she corrected, and sashayed around me.

I turned around to watch because, well, I was fifteen, and she was hot. She didn't get far, Nate, Rosa, and Hugh leapt down from the rooftops to block her path. "We found one!" Rosa shouted, "Let's get him back!"

"Don't let the sand girl get away either," Hugh said, "The less competition Cheren and Hilda have the better."

Temari leapt back to stand next to me. "It appears we have a common enemy," she said, "You worth anything right now?"

"You kidding?" I asked, "Follow my lead."

I summoned Yin and Yang. Nate, Rosa, and Hugh summoned all of their Pokémon, staying in a tight formation. "Stun spore!" I shouted, and Yang flapped its wings furiously, giving off a dense cloud of yellow powder.

We pulled back, and I pointed to the cloud. Temari picked up on the plan, and blew the cloud at our assailants, paralyzing them with pain. "Poison powder," I instructed, and Yin created a new, purple cloud.

Temari waited for me to back up again, and repeated our exercise. The three cloud genin collapsed again, poisoned and paralyzed. "Someone else can find these losers," I said, and tilted my head towards a side alley.

Temari and I went through the alleys, around the hazard cloud we'd created, and then back onto the main street. "You owe me," she said, and split off.

"I owe you?" I called after her, "It was my plan."

"And I executed it expertly!" she shouted back, and leapt off down the street.

Yin and Yang followed her down the street for a while, but came back to me when she was out of sight. "You two like her?" I asked.

They buzzed around me excitedly. "Anything I should worry about?" I chuckled.

Their buzzing became frenzied, and I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

AN: thanks for reading. Leave me a few passing thoughts on my technique?


	22. Chapter 22

Ch 22

A week later, the big day arrived. In the western part of Konoha was a giant stadium, with a circular arena, giant walls, and seating above the walls, looking down. The entire stadium was filled with bystanders of incredible, and nonexistent importance both, without an empty seat to be seen. In the side of one of the walls was a balcony for the genin that would be fighting, with a pathetic, rusty rail separating us from the matches. I had been led in there, and gradually the other contestants filed in after me. Temari winked at me as she came in with her brothers.

May noticed, and was about to call me on it, but then a jonin I didn't recognize asked for us to follow him down into the arena. While we went down, Naruto tugged at my sleeve and asked, "You seen Sasuke?"

"Nope," I said, "haven't even heard anything."

Once were in the arena, the jonin turned to us, and said, "The name's Genma Shiranui. I'll be taking over for Hayate. The rules are the same. The tournament bracket is being moved into the green room. Wave to the people, go back up, and when you fight, do yourselves, your teammates, your senseis, and you villages proud."

I waved as instructed, and saw my mother holding a banner with my name on it. My father was sitting next to her, arms crossed, and a steel gaze. May tugged on my arm, so we took the stairs back up to the green room. The first match was Sasuke and Gaara, then Naruto and Cheren, and… the third was me and May.

May and I shared a look, and turned back to the match ups. Fourth match was Kankuro and Shino to decide who would fight Hilda, and the last of the first round would be Shikamaru vs Temari. "What about that Dosu guy?" May asked.

"He's not here," Shikamaru said, "so it doesn't matter, does it?"

Kankurou pointed to the first match, and elbowed Temari. She looked at it, and then looked at me. She pulled me aside and asked, "You put any thought to Kazekage's offer?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yeah. It doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't Kazekage just ask to borrow me? We're allies. What's going on?"

She winced, but smiled, "I guess I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I misunderstood his proposal."

I stared at her for a second, but she didn't cave, so I said, "I'll ask my sensei for a trip to the Hidden Sand after I kick your butt in the finals."

She shook her head, "We'll see how things go, I guess."

Then came the waiting. Gaara was there, and waiting, but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. A bell rang, calling our attention to the kage box at the top of the stadium. The third Hokage was easy to recognize, but I couldn't get a good look at the Kazekage because he veiled his face, but wore a green kage hat with the symbol for wind on its front. Raikage was another story all together. He was a giant of a man, wearing his kage robe loosely to reveal a sculpted torso, dark skin, and under his yellow, lightning kage hat, was a piercing gaze.

The third cleared his throat, and said, "The first match has been postponed due to its exciting nature. As both the participants of the second match are here, we'll start there. Naruto Uzumaki, and Cheren of the Hidden Cloud, please proceed to the arena floor. Brendan of the Hidden Leaf… Kazekage would like to speak with you."

I leapt out and over the railing, sticking to the wall, ran around the arena once, and then up one of the grandstand's support pillars, arriving at the roof. From there it was a quick jaunt passed some ANBU to the Kage section. Kazekage offered me his hand, "My daughter tells me good things," he said, "I can't wait to see if you're half so good as she claims."

I bowed, "You flatter me."

The Kazekage's eyes had an evil glimmer to them that put my on edge. Raikage chuckled, "Too cheap to hire your own Pokémon trainers, eh, Kazekage?"

"He just wants the best," I said quickly, "Understandable after your ninja's performance in the forest of death."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, boy," Raikage spat, "Norman's not here to protect you."

I laughed, "Your boy Cheren is fighting Naruto, right?"

Raikage gave me a look. "What of it?"

"Naruto's not even a Pokémon specialist, and yet…" I paused, "He's going to wipe the floor with Cheren. Wonder how your rep's gonna take the hit of a deadlast like Naruto shutting you down like he's about to."

The third hokage puffed his pipe. "You think Naruto's improved that much, huh?"

I turned to the arena, and saw Cheren and Naruto walking towards proctor Shiranui. "Yes."

Without looking back I ran down the support pillar, and leapt into the arena myself. Cheren narrowed his eyes at me, and Naruto gave me an inquisitive grunt. "What's the deal?"

I put my hands on my hips and sighed, "I really wanted to get to fight this guy myself, Naruto," then I smiled at him, "but I'd way rather you beat him than lose. I want to see you in the next round, clear?"

Naruto grinned like the maniac he was, "This guy doesn't stand a chance! It's the promise of a life time, Believe it!"

We high-fived, and I went back to the green room. Proctor Shiranui held up his hand, and then chopped down through the air, starting the match. Naruto summoned Kage, and they each created five shadow clones. Cheren laughed, summoned Boldore, hit the ground with his chest, and shouted, "Explosion!"

Naruto and Kage each grabbed a shadow clone and pulled it in front of them, and while all their shadow clones were dispersed, the originals avoided the brunt of the blast. "Atta boy!" May shouted, "Naruto's using his brain!"

Cheren jumped back up to his feet, and pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "Just because you're smarter than that Wally guy doesn't mean you're stronger than me. I've watched you, Naruto. You're a one trick pony, and an idiot at that. It would be better for you to quit now."

Naruto frowned, "Are you kidding me? I made a promise to Brendan that I'd get to fight with him later! I don't go back on my word. That's my nindo, my ninja way!"

Kage and Naruto ran either way around Cheren, with Naruto ending on their enemy's right, and Kage on the left. They summoned more shadow clones, and charged in. Cheren smirked, drew two kunai, and began a spinning assault, cutting down any clones that approached him. "You afraid to get your actual hands dirty?" he accused, "Afraid of coming in for me yourself?"

Cheren jumped up into the air, and flipped so his head was pointing to the ground. He threw his kunai at the Naruto and Kage standing furthest away from him, and flipped again to a perfect landing just outside the circle of clones.

Naruto and Kage took the kunai, fell to the ground, and then poofed out of existence, revealing themselves as clones. The Kage closest to Cheren dashed up and used Force Palm on the enemy ninja's chest, sending him flying backwards. One of the Narutos sped round Cheren, and kicked him just before he would have landed.

Cheren tumbled through the air, skipping over the ground like a stone on a lake, before slamming into one of the arena walls, with broken glasses. "Who's a one trick pony now, ya cocky bastard?"

"He's… he's winning, but he's using the same ninjutsu," May whispered, incredulous, "He really is an idiot, huh?"

I shrugged, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Cheren discarded his glasses, and pulled another pair out from the inside of his jacket. "Okay, now I'm mad."

He pulled out two pokescrolls, I grabbed my pokedex, and he summoned a fiery ape, Simisiear, and a giant, bipedal bug covered in leaves, Leavanny. "Contain the Riolu," Cheren spat, "Then we'll go after the idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Naruto demanded.

Leavanny used String Shot to grab Kage, and reel him in. Kage fought back, but Leavanny tossed it around in the air, using it's silk and leaves to create a cocoon to contain Kage. Simisear slammed its fists on the ground, and jumped into a full roll.

The fire Pokémon built up some speed in its roll, and fire began to emanate from it. "Flame Wheel," May whispered, "That's no basic move…"

Naruto panicked, and Simisear rammed into the orange genin with no issues. Naruto shouted in pain, flying backwards like Cheren had earlier. Naruto landed on a big rock, let out a grunt of pain, and then Simisear was on him again.

Naruto went flying into the wall, and Simisear beat the ground in excitement again. Naruto groaned, and then shouted, "You're going to need more than this to take me and Kage down, believe it!"

Kage struggled in his bonds, but nodded an affirmative. "We've got this Kage!" Naruto cried as he evaded another Flame Wheel.

Naruto and Kage, in that moment, totally synced. They both wanted to kick Cheren's ass, and their link actually manifested in chakra. Kage began to glow and expand, bursting out of his bonds, and revealed himself as his evolved form: Lucario.

Kage dashed across the arena to slam one of its paws into Simisear's back. Simisear tripped forward, and Kage grabbed him. Naruto's Pokémon tossed Simisear above him, into the air, as Naruto himself scaled the arena wall.

As Simisear began to fall back to earth, Kage's paws glowed with chakra, and he used Arm Thrust up at the enemy Pokémon. With each blow, Simisear was sent higher back into the air, and Kage used his chakra to reach higher with each blow, so with the fifth and final blow, Simisear was just over the lip of the arena wall.

Naruto created a shadow clone, and threw it just passed Simisear, so that it could deliver an roundhouse, sending the enemy Pokémon out of the arena. As the clone dissipated, Kage leapt up onto the wall, and met Naruto on the wall. Naruto made another clone, which stood between him and Kage.

Both Naruto and his Pokémon transformed into demon wheel shuriken, and the clone threw them down at Cheren before dispelling itself. Leavanny stepped in front of its trainer, and used String shot again, grabbing onto each of the shuriken, and slammed them together.

The transformations were dispelled, so Naruto and Kage fell about twenty feet down to the ground. Kage landed perfectly, but Naruto fell like a sack of potatoes. "You're seriously a ninja?" Cheren demanded, "What was that?"

Naruto pushed himself up slowly, and panted, "Do it."

Kage charged his right paw with chakra and slammed it into Naruto's stomach. The whole arena went quiet. "Quit!" Cheren called, "Not even your Pokémon wants you to keep fighting!"

Naruto looked up, and his eyes had turned red, with slit pupils. "It's a combination Pervy Sage taught us."

Crimson chakra began to emanate from Naruto, and Kage's underwent a similar change. It was not a good chakra. It smelled like blood and it sent a shiver down my spine. "What is that?" I gasped.

Shikamaru stepped over to the rail, and then said, "Good to know Gaara isn't the only demon here, huh?"

"Demon?" I asked.

"The Nine tailed fox…" May whispered, "When the fourth hokage defeated it… he sealed inside Naruto!"

"Wait a second," I turned to face Temari, "Gaara can manipulate sand, like Shukaku."

Temari hushed me, and looked back to her brother, "Don't say that name," she scolded me quietly, "It'll set him off."

I looked back to May, and panic was in her eyes too. She pulled me aside, "Pokémon flee before tailed beasts."

We turned and saw that indeed Leavanny was scrambling up the arena wall away from the battle. Cheren recalled it, and summoned Dewott. Dewott, however, also began to flee. "You're my first partner!" Cheren called, "Why won't you help me?"

Naruto and Kage charged. "Because he knows you're finished!" Naruto exclaimed.

Cheren tried to run too, but with the ninetails chakra, Naruto was too fast, and skirted around him, trapping Cheren between himself and Kage. As the two closed, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned to see Steven-sensei and four people I didn't recognize. He put a hand on my and May's shoulders. "We're okay," he insisted, "this isn't the end."

"If we get matched up against Naruto or Gaara, we should forfeit," May whispered, "It would be stupid for us to fight them."

"Perhaps not immediately," Steven-sensei countered, "I'll let you two in on a secret: you don't have to win the tournament to become a chunin. You need to prove that you are Chunin level through the tournament. Does that distinction make sense?"

"Prove that even if we can't beat Naruto or Gaara, that we're leadership material," I sighed, "I can do that."

The crowd roared at the match, and we turned to see that Naruto and Kage, back to normal, were waving at the crowd like lunatics, blowing kisses, and jumping for joy. Cheren was laid out on the ground, unconscious. May and I turned back to Steven-sensei and his friends. "Who are they?" May asked.

The four strangers stood in a line behind Steven-sensei. From left to right, they were a man, were it not for the poof of red hair on his forehead he would have been bald in a punk-rock outfit, a girl wearing flowers in her hair wearing a bikini top and a floral wrap around her hips, a stern woman with platinum blond hair in a very formal kimono, and a man with a severe gaze dressed like he'd just stepped off a sailing ship. "They're my… friends," he said, "Here to watch my students duke it out, as it were. Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake. You two are up."

May and I shared a glance, and we went down to the arena as Naruto came up. When we reached the ground level, Naruto shouted, "Brendan! You said you want to meet me in the later rounds, right?! Beat her!"

Shikamaru shouted, "No way Brendan beats May! She's the scariest lady I know."

May took a position across from me, and said, "So… I've been thinking about this. I know that we're team mates, but I'm not going to go easy on you. For now, we're enemies, and I'm going to do my best to beat you. After this, I hope we can let go of it, and go back to being friends, okay?"

"Can't agree with that," I said, and May's face fell, "Because after the match, we go back to being best friends May."

She cackled with laughter and exclaimed, "Oh you ass! You got me all worried."

Proctor Shiranui snorted, "Well that was so cute I've got a stomach ache… sheesh. Begin the match."

May and I flew into a flurry of summons, May emptying all her pokescrolls, revealing the evolved forms of Pogo and Tiny, while I summoned Yin, Yang, and Jiton. I drew my sword, and funneled chakra into it. There was a deep breath, and then everything went crazy.

I ran in, May focused her chakra into her hands, molding into blades, and met my slash with the edge of her hand. Jiton used Zen Headbutt on Tiny, knocking him over, just in time for Cackle to leap through the air and grab him. When Cackle opened it maw just a little to readjust Yin and Yang swooped in, grabbed him, and flew him into the air.

They flew Cackle over the stands, dropped him into the Kage booth, and started fluttering back down to me. May worked herself close enough to me that using my sword was no longer feasible, kneed me in the groin, and then threw me into the air.

I hadn't realized just how good she was in close range. It occurred to me that using my sword, which was still relatively new to me, against a close combat specialist hadn't been my best idea. May appeared behind me in mid air, and the wrappings around her hands wrapped around me, near mummifying me.

We started to spin, and my veins turned to ice. Jiton pressed on our bond, so I borrowed his traits, transforming my flesh into steel. We tilted down, and May slammed me headfirst into the ground. She snarled in pain and rolled away, pulling her wrappings with her.

I focused my chakra into my brain, and activated the psychic powers therein. May's attack had resulted in a massive cloud of dust, but I didn't need my eyes anymore. With a wave of my hand, I sent a shockwave of telekinetic power swept May up and threw her into the arena wall.

I landed on the ground, Yin and Yang arrived, and I dropped the transformation. Yin and Yang obligingly blew away the dust cloud, and the crowd roared. May pulled herself out of the wall with a pathetic whimper, and Tiny used Choji's expansion jutsu to roll by me to block another attack.

Pogo leapt over me and by Tiny to check on May. Yin and Yang fluttered over my shoulders, so I pointed both fists at Tiny. They sent a barrage of gust attacks at the enemy Pokémon, sending it backwards inch by inch.

Jiton camouflaged and sped by the fighting Pokémon, aiming for Pogo. Just before Pogo could attend to May, Jiton caught it in the sternum with a devastating Iron Head attack, sending it flipping away.

May, however, had recovered, and punched Jiton, releasing an explosion of chakra, resulting in Jiton flying back over to me, knocking me in the chest. "The Leaf's Lotus Bloom's Twice!" she shouted, and held her hands in front of her face in a protective gesture, "Third Gate of Life: OPEN!"

She flung her hands down to her side, her skin turned red, and her chakra began to swirl around her through the air. "Fourth Gate of Pain: OPEN!"

I sped around Tiny, and jabbed my sword under its left shoulder while it was focused on Yin and Yang, before retreating again. May looked up at me, and shouted, "Fifth Gate of Closing: OPEN!"

She was clutching her side like I'd stabbed her too, but then she stood up straight and declared, "Forbidden Art: Mad Dance of Infinity!"

I borrowed from Jiton again, and prepared to take a blow, but May disappeared. An instant after she was gone, I started to take punches from every conceivable direction, so close together that they almost seemed to be in the same moment. Before I could even know what was happening, I was kicked airbourne, and May reappeared below me.

I could feel it. This would be the final blow. I was shaken, and the punches had bent my steel frame, but it didn't hurt, so I gambled. I dropped Jiton's transformation, and borrowed from Yin and Yang. I sent Stun Spores out of every pore in my skin, and flapped madly for a second.

When May jumped up to punch me, the Stun Spore hit her first, and as her muscles cramped, she punched, resulting in a glancing blow. All of the ribs in my left side snapped like twigs, but she didn't make my cave go concave, so I counted myself lucky.

We started to fall, so I reached for her life energy, and pulled out as much as I could. Mega-Drain yielded enough healing that as I rolled to a landing on the ground my ribs had come together, but were still fractured.

Neither of us got up immediately, but Jiton was ready, and slammed himself into May as she pushed herself up to her knees. I got up first, and Jiton began to glow, evolving into Metang. May moved to get up again, but I drew my sword and held it to her neck. "Don't move an inch!" I shouted.

The crowd's reaction was instantaneous. The noise they generated vibrated my ribcage, and I nearly collapsed with the pain. May fell back to the ground, spread eagle, and panted, "I yield."

Steven-sensei appeared in a poof of smoke next to me, put his right shoulder under my left arm, and lifted me into the air. "I'll help you to the medic's."

While he leapt me up, two medic ninja ran over to May with a stretcher, picked her up, and scurried after us. Jiton went through the doors, knocking them off their hinges, and grabbed the first medic he saw. Steven-sensei escorted me to a bed, and Jiton's new medic friend went to work on my ribs.

Soothing green chakra started to knit bone back together, and Steven-sensei handed me a soldier pill. "You'll need this for your next match. I have an eye on the current battle. Kankurou, of the Hidden Sand, withdraws, it's Shino vs. Hilda."

I set my head back, and said, "Thank you sensei. Check on May."

He went over to the next stretcher over, quickly followed by Might Guy and Rock Lee on crutches. "You did so amazing May!" Rock Lee declared, "You're an inspiration!"

"How're you, Lee?" she asked, "Anything new from the doctors?"

Lee looked down, and his eyes watered, "It does not look good."

"If anyone can come back from those injuries, it's you, Lee," I said, and gave him a thumbs up.

"How do you know that?" he demanded.

"Cause I've been talking you up, Lee," May chuckled, "A genius of hard work, and a splendid ninja."

"Look into a Pokémon named Blissey," I said, "It has amazing healing powers. I'm sure you could have one imported from across the sea."

Cheren walked over, a bandage around his head, his left leg dragging lamely behind him. "Audino is a much more effective healer," he said, "and it's native to the Land of Lightning."

"You… you'd help him?" May asked, "Why?"

"I have a newfound sympathy for those who've lost a battle with a jinchuriki," he said, "or maybe I got hit harder on the head than I thought."

He pulled a pokescroll from his pack, and tossed it to Lee. "Take care of my friend, okay?"

Cheren took a deep breath before he left the room, and Lee looked at the pokescroll in his hands with tears streaming down his cheeks. He took a deep breath, and summoned Audino. Audino took one look at him, and flipped out, actually picking him up, and carrying the genin over to a nearby bed.

When Audino began to fiddle with Lee's shattered arm, Lee closed his eyes at first, but after a moment, Audino tore the cast off, and Lee tested it out. "It… it's healed."

I laid my head back down as Lee caught his new Pokémon in a bear hug, consequently preventing it from healing his leg and spine. Steven-sensei walked over to me, and said, "Hilda just destroyed Shino. She's already back in the green room."

I pulled away from the Medic, and said, "Then so am I."

I recalled Jiton to his scroll, waved to May, and returned to the green room. Temari was waiting. She got close, and whispered, "You owe me."

"What?" I asked, and she pilfered Yin and Yang's scrolls from the pouches on my strap.

She pecked me on the cheek and sashayed down with my Pokémon in hand. "Seriously?" Shikamaru demanded, "you're gonna lend her your Pokémon?"

"She saved me from a brutal mugging by some Hidden Cloud ninja," I explained through gritted teeth, "I wouldn't be here without her. I owe her."

Shikamaru started down the stairs after her. "That doesn't make me feel better."

"She couldn't possibly know how to use them," I called after him, "I only use hand signs with them, and she doesn't know their move names."

Shikamaru stopped, turned, and narrowed his eyes at me. "She has the scrolls, you idiot."

I spread out my hands, "There's no way she knows how to use those!"

He pulled out his three scrolls and said, "An idiot could use these. She's not an idiot. Hell, you're smitten."

"I am _not_ smitten!" I lied.

AN: hope you enjoyed this. Got anything good to say?


	23. Chapter 23

Ch 23

Temari and Shikamaru reached the center of the arena to thunderous applause. Temari winked at me just as Proctor Shiranui said, "Alright, everyone's at the party. Let's get it started."

Shikamaru sent his shadow across the ground, and attempted to latch onto Temari's feet, but she was onto him, and flipped away, slower than she could have. When Shikamaru's shadow stopped, she used her fan to carve a mark on the ground. "That's as far as you can go?" she asked, "Good to know."

Shikamaru leapt back, away from her, and into the shadow of the arena wall. He sighed, "God… first I have to fight a girl in the preliminaries, and now I have to fight a spunky girl in the first round? What a drag…"

Temari's eyebrow twitched, and she demanded, "Say that again?!"

"You're a pain!" Shikamaru shouted, "But I can't just let myself lose to a girl!"

Temari unfurled her fan, and blew a cyclone of wind at Shikamaru, who leapt into one of the trees that dotted the outer ring of the arena. "I thought he was supposed to be some kind of genius…" I said, "May's always talking about him."

I found him in one of the tree branches, and had struck an odd pose, hunched over, touching each of the fingertips of his right hand to the respective fingertip on his left hand. He paused like that for a moment, before he stood up again, three pokescrolls in hand.

He summoned Rook, his Nuzleaf, Knight, his Solrock, and Queen, his Lunatone. Queen shone with light for a moment, and when the light faded, Knight and Queen were gone, leaving just Shikamaru and Rook. Rook dashed out of the shadows, and used Razor Leaf, whipping off and regrowing the leaf on its head.

Temari blew the leaves up and every which direction with her fan, and her cyclonic jutsu focused on Rook himself, sending him flying back into the shadows, where he landed and did not get up. "What was that?" Naruto asked.

"A sacrifice play," I said, "But I don't see what he gained."

Shikamaru held out a hand, and Knight reappeared. It flew up high, and used Sunny Day, shining brightly like a second sun. Shikamaru lashed out with his shadow again, driving past Temari's line, and nearly ensnaring her again. "How?" she demanded.

"What's going on?" Naruto demanded, "I don't get it."

"The shadow of the arena is bigger," I explained, "Because of Solrock's move. Shikamaru has more shadow to work with."

I looked up to the sky, where the leaves were still slowly falling. Eventually they too would throw shadows. "That guy's subtle as fuck," I reaffirmed.

Temari eyed the falling leaves too, and then blew them back up into the air, shredding a few, but most of them stayed airborne. "That's not enough to outsmart me," she declared, and summoned Yin and Yang.

My Pokémon fluttered about her like mad for a moment, chirping happily. "They really like her," I said to myself.

"I bet they'll leave you," Hilda called, "I've seen it before."

Shikamaru threw out five kunai, each tied to an explosive tag, which Temari, with Yin and Yang, managed to dodge, but the tags didn't carry much explosive force, but when they hit the ground they sent up a respectable smokescreen.

Shikamaru extended his shadow again, looping wide to the right to come at her where she didn't expect it. "Watch your left!" Kankuro called.

Temari leapt onto her fan, gliding above the smoke screen, and retreated to the opposite wall, where she looked up again, and propelled the falling leaves back into the sky. Shikamaru sighed angrily, "You're a pain, you know that?"

Temari panted, and blew a gale of wind at him through the smokescreen. The dust parted for the gale, but then came back together afterwards. "How did that happen?" Hilda marveled.

I laughed, because I could see the dust was swirling just a bit at two points in the middle of the smokescreen. Shikamaru leapt up onto the opposite side of the arena wall, and shouted, "Queen! Now!"

Lunatone appeared just behind Temari, sucking the light out of the opposite side of the arena. I could just barely see Shikamaru's shadow race across the arena floor and up the wall, after her. "What a match!" I shouted, "Whoo!"

"Who are you rooting for?" Naruto asked.

"I'm torn," I confessed, "but that only makes it more fun to watch!"

Temari leapt onto her fan again keeping just above the smoke screen in the middle. "She's safe from that shadow guy," Kankuro mused, "but she can't attack either."

Shikamaru looked down towards the ground, and nodded. Something darted from his side of the smokescreen, through it, and up the other wall. Rook appeared by Queen, and then went invisible. He reappeared just behind Temari on her fan. "Faint Attack," Hilda whispered, "Oh my gosh, this match is over."

Temari didn't see Rook in time, and was kicked off her fan, but that was the moment the smoke screen disappeared. Yin flew up, and blew a gust of wind at Rook, sending him flying into the stands, where he didn't get up a second time, and Yang flew at Shikamaru, dousing him in Stun Spores.

Still, through what had to be crippling pain, Shikamaru sent out his shadow again, and latched onto Temari as she picked herself up from the ground. Kankuro groaned, and Temari's eyes panicked. Yin and Yang fluttered to the rescue, but Knight and Queen descended on them, throwing themselves on top of the bug Pokémon.

Yin and Yang were pinned, Temari had been captured by Shikamaru's shadow, but I still had no idea who was going to win. "He can't move, and the Pokémon he has that aren't knocked out are keeping Yin and Yang in check," I said, "What's his move?"

Shikamaru sighed, and fell over, releasing his shadow jutsu. "I quit," he groaned, "this hurts too much and I'm out of chakra. What do I care about this stupid exam anyway?"

Proctor Shiranui burst out in laughter. "The winner is Temari!"

I leapt down to the arena and put a Cheri Berry up to Shikamaru's lips. "Sorry I owed her one," I said, "Without Yin or Yang, you would have won."

He bit down on the berry, and I gave him a Leppa berry to up his energy. He recalled his Pokémon, and sighed, "Don't make excuses for me. I lost."

I shrugged, and clapped him on the shoulder, "Sensei says it's not all about winning the matches…"

"So I'll make Chunin…" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "What a drag. At least moms won't yell at me."

In a flash of orange, Naruto descended into the arena. "You worthless slacker!" he shouted, "How could you quit just after you won?! Brendan, you should have let him writhe! This idiot isn't worth a Cheri Berry!"

I laughed and waved his comments off, "He's our friend, Naruto. Let it go."

"Let's get out of the way of the next match, okay?" Shikamaru insisted, "I'd hate for it to be delayed on my account."

"Where is Sasuke?" I asked, offering Shikamaru a hand up.

Temari approached before anybody could answer, Yin and Yang holding onto her arms. "That was… a good match. You're not bad, for a slacker."

Yin fluttered over to me, hugged my arm, and then returned to Temari. Yang flew up to my face, and held its forehead to mine, before flying back to Temari as well. "Does that mean what I think it means?" I asked.

Yin chirped and Yang nodded an affirmative. Not gonna lie: that hurt. "What's going on?" Naruto asked.

I swallowed hard, and felt my bond to my first two captures dissolve. Temari perked up and her eyes widened. She looked at each Pokémon. "I'm going to be really sorry to see these two go, but… your debt is settled."

"Not true," I said, "They just picked you over me. You can feel them now, can't you?"

Nobody in the arena said anything, even as the people in the stands began to grumble for the next match. "What?" Naruto asked.

There was another lump in my throat, so I stayed silent. "Brendan just said that Yin and Yang decided to stay with Temari," Shikamaru explained.

Temari's face fell. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Brendan."

I took a deep breath, and smiled at her, "Well, now you owe me. Just… promise to take care of them, okay? No more getting trapped under rock Pokémon, you hear me?"

She recalled them to their scrolls, and nodded her head, "It's a promise."

Naruto led the crowd that had gather back up to the green room, and we turned back to the arena. Gaara sailed down into the arena on a cloud of sand, and stood next to the proctor, a sadistic smile on his face. I turned to Temari, "Is he always like that before a match?"

She didn't answer, in fact, she was literally quivering in fear. "He's really fired up," Kankuro whispered, "This is bad man…"

I turned back to the match, and in a flurry of leaves, none other than Sasuke Uchiha arrived with Kakashi-sensei. "What a show off!" Naruto jeered.

"Kept us waiting long enough," I added, "Uchiha brat."

Sasuke looked up to us, and shouted, "How'd you do, Naruto?!"

"You better make it through this match, so Kage and I can pick you apart ourselves!" he replied, "I didn't kick the crap out of Cheren just to fight that red-haired jerk!"

"Don't provoke him," Kankuro chided, "You'll just end up dead."

Naruto summoned Kage, and said, "Let's see what Sasuke's got."

I couldn't help it, my grin spread from ear to ear. "You're getting a lot better Naruto. Good call."

I summoned Katon, and said, "Let's see what we get from this fight."

Hilda eyed us, and growled, before summoning a fire Pokémon I didn't recognize. While Gaara and Sasuke talked with Proctor Shiranui, I pointed my pokedex at Hilda's Pokémon. " _Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon,_ " my dex identified, " _When its internal fire flares up, its moves get stronger and faster. It emits smoke when it's in trouble_."

Hilda eyed me, then said, "Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokémon, During a battle, the hot flame inside it increases. Its kicks have outstanding destructive power."

I chuckled menacingly. "Turnabout is fair play, I suppose."

Proctor Shiranui raised his hand above his head, chopped it down, and said, "Get going!"

He leapt out of the way, and the match started. Gaara used sand, like I'd been told, to keep Sasuke at bay for a moment, but then Sasuke's speed increased dramatically. "Whoa!" I exclaimed.

Gaara's sand was no longer fast enough to counter Sasuke's taijutsu. I summoned Suiton too, and pointed him at Gaara, "Watch, and learn," I whispered.

"What are you doing, showing off your Pokémon like that?" Temari asked.

"Sasuke's sharingan can copy anything it sees," I explained, "Pokémon can copy any ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu they see provided it's of the same type as they are. Hilda's friends already told her what types of Pokémon I have. But…"

I looked over to Hilda, and she didn't summon anything to copy Gaara. "Now I'm learning about her party," I continued, "for instance, she doesn't have a ground type Pokémon with her."

She grunted an affirmative, "Well played, jackass."

Gaara got separation from Sasuke, and dropped the layer of sand that covered his body to form an orb of sand. Sasuke punched it, but the orb merely grabbed onto him, and then shot spike at him. Sasuke turned his body so the spikes would have less area to aim at, and came away without any major wounds.

He backed up, summoned two Pokémon, Avenger, his Bagon, and a Corpfish. "You helped Sasuke catch a second Pokémon?" Naruto asked, "When are you going to take me to catch another?"

"I don't know where or when Sasuke caught that Corpfish," I answered, "or where he's been since the preliminaries, remember?"

Sasuke looked at both his Pokémon, and said, "Alright, Avenger, Smasher… let's do this."

He reached into his ninjatool pouch, and pulled out a silver whistle that covered his lips with a pokeball print mouth guard. "What?!" I burst out, "A Pokewhistle?!"

"Dammit," Hilda swore, "He's been training with Norman."

Naruto pointed at me, "That's your dad's name."

"What's a pokewhistle?" Shikamaru asked.

"It emits a sound so high pitched only Pokémon can hear it," Hilda explained after locking eyes with me, "Sasuke would train his Pokémon to associate moves, or combinations with certain, differentiated pitches. He won't need to call out techniques or moves. His Pokémon, will, by all given signs, be working together seamlessly. Your friend hasn't told you about his father's greatest achievement? He has to use one in a bind, right… Brendan, son of Norman?"

I smiled at her because I didn't need _anything_ that man used. His pokewhistle was old technology compared to my psychic link with Jiton. Hilda, of course, didn't need to know that. "Nah," Naruto said, "Brendan doesn't need a pokewhistle. He trained his Pokémon to go off hand gestures, of a psychic link."

My jaw dropped, and I stared at Naruto. He beamed at me, "See? I've been paying attention. I'm not as dumb as everyone says."

Shikamaru sighed, and Temari gave him the stink eye. "You must really want a second Pokémon," she mused, "If you're willing to piss him off that much."

Hilda cackled, and Katon tugged at my pant-leg. I turned to see him pointing as Sasuke. His cheeks were puffed, and slowly deflated. I couldn't hear it, but Sasuke was making his move. Avenger circled behind the sand orb, while Sasuke climbed the arena wall, and finally Smasher moved in between Sasuke and orb, just outside of Gaara's range.

A tiny bit of Gaara's shell broke away, and swirled into a floating eyeball. "That technique?!" Temari asked, "What's he doing?"

Smasher opened its pincers, and unleashed a torrent of giant, shining bubbles throughout the arena floor. The bubbles floated all over the place, and drifted a bit with the wind. One of the bubbles collided with the eye, and exploded like a bomb.

The eye dissipated, and wet sand fell to the arena floor. "Oh!" I shouted, "Genius! Sasuke confined Gaara to his own orb. Those bubbles won't dissolve the orb, but it'll make the orb wet, and harder to maintain!"

As Gaara formed another eye with fresh sand, Sasuke fiddled with the straps on his left arm. The leaf genin flashed through some handsigns I couldn't track, and then lightning formed in the palm of his hand. "Whoa… what technique is that?" Shikamaru asked.

I snapped my fingers and pointed at Sasuke, "Wait a second! Kakashi did that in the Land of Waves against Zabuza, remember?"

The stadium filled with the sounds of birds chirping, coming from Sasuke's technique. Smasher heard it, and slammed his pinschers against the dirt. When they came back up, Smasher opened them, and shot a deluge of water from each at Gaara's orb. The sand became damp, but kept its form.

That was when Sasuke struck. He sped down the wall, onto the ground, and stabbed his hand through the sand. An earsplitting scream emerged from the sand, and Kankuro leaned over the rail, "That's impossible!" he cried.

"I'm bleeding!" Gaara shouted.

Kankuro turned to Temari and said, "We gotta run!"

I made a placating gesture with my hands, "Gaara's still alive," I insisted, "and medical staff are on site to help with any injuries. You need to calm down."

Sasuke tried to pull away, but he couldn't. He let out an alarmed shout, and activated a second lightning attack. Even with that, when he pulled away, a clawed hand came with him. Once Sasuke was about ten feet away from the orb, the hand let go. "This wasn't the plan," Temari muttered.

"Plan?" I asked, and took a closer look at the arm.

It was made of sand, with swirling purple designs, and mishappen claws like half of the hand had bled all down the side of its arm. Katon turned on one foot to hide behind me. "Is that Shukaku?" I demanded.

Temari and Kankuro didn't say anything, so I turned to Shikamaru. "You and Naruto get down there and help Sasuke. I'll deal with these two."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, "What's a Shukaku?"

"A tailed beast. Like the Nine Tailed Fox," I supplied, "If the Hidden Sand brought an unstable Jinchuriki, like Gaara, to the chunin exams…. That can only mean they want it to go on a rampage _through_ the Hidden Leaf village. We're at war. Go. Help. Sasuke. I won't be of any use there."

Naruto and Shikamaru leapt into the arena, and Temari and Kankuro weren't far behind on Temari's fan. Hilda stared at Gaara's orb, the wounded Jinchuriki still screaming like bloody murder, and whispered, "Raikage must be notified."

I summoned Jiton, leapt onto it like I'd ridden Steven-sensei's Metagross in the Land of Waves, and chased after Temari. I got onto the fan, and kicked Kankuro down into the arena. Temari turned to me, just in time for Jiton to pluck her from her own fan.

Her fan gliding into the distance, Temari clung to Jiton as I leapt onto him again. Jiton reestablished our psychic link, and I guided him up and to the kage booth. I landed, and ANBU black ops surrounded me. "The Hidden Sand intend to unleash Shukaku!" I shouted before they could contain me, "We're under attack!"

ANBU stopped closing in on me, and the ANBU commander, denoted by his beige trench coat, turned to look at the Third Hokage. "My lord?" he asked.

The Third Hokage turned to Kazekage and asked, "What do you have to say to this accusation, Rasa?"

Kazekage looked at the Third Hokage, and sighed, "Oh, I'm tired of waiting anyway. Let's begin, Sarutobi-sensei."

As the Kazekage's body guards dropped smoke bombs, Shukaku's twisted chakra reached us in the air, sending Jiton into a panic. My Pokémon dropped Temari, and sped forward, into the smoke so fast I fell off backwards, barely grabbing the edge of the hokage's box. Just over my head, I saw Raikage leapt away from the roof, two cloud ninja and Hilda in tow.

I looked down, and saw the arena floor about seven stories below. That was not something chakra would make an easy fall. I pulled myself up just in time to see four figures leap from the smoke, and summon a cube like barrier, keeping everyone out of the hokage box, and Jiton in.

With the barrier blocking Shukaku's chakra, it rushed back to me, but I held a hand out so it didn't run into the barrier. I threw a shuriken, and the barrier wrapped around it, and immolated it. "I'll find a way to get you out, just hang tight while I deal with Temari, okay?"

She was staring inside the barrier too, but not at Jiton. I watched with horror as Kazekage removed his mask, and then the face underneath, revealing a person the likes of which I'd never seen. "That's you dad?" I asked Temari.

He had bone white skin, with purple marks around his eyes, yellow irises with slitted pupils, and his tongue slithered out of his mouth like a snake. "That's… that's Orochimaru!" Temari cried, "Where's my father?"

I looked over to the four ninja that had summoned the barrier. They had Hidden Sound forehead protectors. "Oh… oh god," I whispered.

The invasion of the Hidden Leaf had begun, and things were not looking good.

AN: Thanks for reading. Did you like it?


	24. Chapter 24

Ch 24

The Village Hidden in the Leaves was under attack from a surprise alliance of the Hidden Sound, and Hidden Sand villages. The Third hokage was stuck inside a barrier with someone named Orochimaru, and Jiton, who was camouflaged. Temari stood next to me, shock on her face, "Where is my father?" she demanded of Orochimaru.

One of the ANBU walked up next to me. "This girl could give us everything we need. Ibiki Morino is stationed at the western guard tower on the village's perimeter wall. Take her there."

I turned, ran at her, and grabbed her in a fireman's carry. "The torturer?" Temari asked, "Don't do this!"

I sped up, but something tripped me, and I lost my balance, tripping, with Temari still in hand, and falling fifteen feet to the main grandstand's roof. I got to my feet and Temari kicked the back of my knee, scrambling to get away.

When I turned to face her, Kankuro was next to her, holding her fan. "You dropped this," he said, "Gaara ran off, we need to go get him. You're faster, I'll deal with Brendan."

A flurry of glitter appeared behind Kankuro, and gelled together to form Wally. "Not so fast," he said, and held a kunai to Kankuro's neck, "You've got bigger problems."

Temari jumped into the air, unfurling her fan, but I leapt and just barely grabbed onto the back. I kicked my feet up and used my chakra to stick to the bottom of the fan. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

I pressed my hands against the fan too, and announced, "This is your captain speaking: we're expecting some minor turbulence in today's flight."

I pushed with my right side and pulled with my left, setting the fan off balance. We careened off balance, and down into the arena. Temari wrested control of the fan back from me about fifteen feet above the ground, so I stuck my sword through the folds of the fan, and pulled down, ruining it.

We fell, but I was ready for it this time, and rolled with the landing so it didn't hurt. Temari ate dirt. "I didn't want it to go down this way!" she said, "It wasn't personal. I offered you a chance to change sides."

I pointed my sword at her and said, "That doesn't make you trying to kill everyone in my village okay."

She tossed her fan to the side, and summoned Yin and Yang. "I need to go get Gaara. He's my brother."

"He's a lunatic!" I shouted, "And a jinchuriki! What were you thinking?!"

"He's still family," she insisted, "and it's my mission to protect him."

Yin and Yang fluttered around her, and she repeated herself, "This isn't personal. I'm sorry."

She pointed both her fists at me, and Yin and Yang turned to me. "Seriously?" I asked, "I can almost understand you wanting a different trainer, if you really like her, but are you going to attack _me_ for her?"

They shared a look, and then fluttered above us. "Well I guess it all wasn't for nothin' after all," I said, and charged, "This isn't _personal_!"

One second Temari was there, and the next, she wasn't. about three feet to my left was Raikage, holding Temari aloft by her neck. "I didn't come here to get involved in this fracas, I swear," he said, "In fact, it's really pissing me off, but there it is."

I sighed with relief, "You're going to help us?"

He shook his head, "I came here to pit the best of my village's youngsters against the best of the Hidden Leaf's. I'll be damned if I don't get my match. Hilda!"

Hilda leapt down from somewhere behind me, and landed facing me, where Temari had been. Raikage raised his voice, "If ANYONE gets in the way of this match, I'll kill them MYSELF!"

Steven-sensei appeared between me and Hilda, facing Raikage. "You can try, A. It won't go well for you, yeah? But don't let that stop you from trying."

Raikage looked to his two companion ninja, and said, "C, Darui… take this guy away for me?"

Steven-sensei's four friends appeared behind them. "The Hidden Leaf's Elite Four say different," Drake declared, "Get lost or we'll hurt you."

A peal of laughter came from behind me, so I turned to see a man with flaming hair, wearing pokescrolls around his neck, and a poncho concealing basically everything else. "Alder," Steven-sensei said, "Been a while. You sure you want to do this?"

Alder shrugged, "I brought my Elite Four. Why not?"

Four shadows ran through the arena, each grabbing one of Steven-sensei's friends and flickering out of sight. Alder and Steven-sensei charged at each other and disappeared when they met, leaving me with Raikage and Hilda. "When it rains, it pours," I sighed.

"If you beat Hilda, I give you the Sand girl here, and we leave," Raikage said, "If Hilda beats you… I'm taking you home to the Hidden Cloud, and I'll brainwash you until you're mine."

I pointed my sword at Hilda and said, "If you fight me here, you're getting in the way of me fighting to protect my friends. I'll kill you for that. I mean it. No more joking outta me… straight up murder. You prepared for that?"

"Stop assuming I'll lose!" she shouted, "You're not better than me!"

I thought about Sasuke's jutsu, and how he'd created a blade of lightning with chakra, and then focused my own chakra into my sword so it glowed. Then I changed its shape, expanding and elongating it, until it looked like the Executioner's blade. I didn't have time to get the real thing, but Zabuza had been right. I really wanted to kill Hilda.

Raikage disappeared in a flash of electricity, and the various battles between Leaf ninja and the rest were moved so it was just me, Hilda, and Raikage in the arena. I dashed in and slashed my sword horizontally, which Hilda jumped over, right above my left shoulder, so I spun my right leg around behind me, kicking her in the stomach as she passed over me.

She rolled away, desperate for separation, but I wouldn't let her get it. As she rolled I continued to swing my sword like a maniac, which at the moment I suppose I was. So Hilda changed her strategy. She funneled her chakra to her feet, pushed off the ground with all her might, bringing some of the arena floor up with her, and lobbed a smoke bomb over the chunk so it exploded in my face.

The smoke filled my lungs, and pain superseded my rage, so I leapt backwards out of the smoke. I couldn't see her because my eyes were watering, and I was coughing too loudly to discern any of her movements through sound, so I summoned Katon, Suiton, and Mokuton. "Attack pledge," I hacked.

Mokuton and Katon sprayed green and red energy all around them, creating patches of fire that would burn even water all around us, so I turned to Suiton and said, "Sand Shell."

Suiton gathered the sand Gaara had left behind and created a dense orb of sand around me and my Pokémon. Just before the shell completely encased me I pulled my chakra back from my sword, dropping the technique. I coughed until I was sure all I was breathing was good old fashioned oxygen. "Third eye," I whispered, and Suiton obeyed.

I closed my eyes, and the sand eyeball connected to my optic nerve. Hilda had summoned a small blue sea turtle Pokémon. Through the sand I heard Hilda shouted, "Aqua Jet!"

The enemy Pokémon sprayed water out of the back of its shell, propelling it forward, and it slammed into the sand orb, turned an entire half into tightly packed mud. "Works for me," I said, and connected to Suiton.

I flashed through the handsigns that came to me, and whispered, "Ground Move: Mud Shot."

Suiton guided my hands together, and then jabbed them forward. The mud gathered into a ball at the tips of my fingers and then flew forward like a stream like it had been shot out of a fire hose, right into the enemy Pokémon.

It flipped backwards, stopped, and looked to Hilda. "Ancient Power Tortoga!" Hilda shouted, and summoned a small lizard thing with feathered wings.

At first, nothing happened, but then Tortoga roared, and entire boulders rose from the ground and hurled themselves at us. Suiton caught one, and threw it at the second, and Katon kicked the other two out of the way. If Tortoga was a water/rock type, then it was a perfect match up for Mokuton, and I eyed Hilda's other Pokémon. I didn't want to be rush in without a basic understanding of that one. "Acrobatics Archen!" Hilda cried.

"Sand Barrier!" I shouted.

Suiton pulled up a wall of sand in front of us, but Archen wheeled over it and dove for Katon. Katon, however, was just a bit faster, and kicked Archen back into the sand just before its attack would have landed. "Retreat Katon!" I shouted.

I reached through my bonds with Mokuton and Suiton, sending the former after Tortoga and the latter after Archen. Suiton sprayed a mud shot at Archen, grounding it, and then covered it in about a foot of sand.

Mokuton reached out, and used MegaDrain on Tortoga, putting that enemy out of commission too. I let out another cough, and then a curse. That smoke had really messed with me, but Hilda's eyes were wide with fear. "How are you communicating without a psychic Pokémon or your hand gestures?" she whispered.

"I'm better than you, and I'm prettier than you," I coughed with a smile, "Grass move: Mega Drain!"

I pulled life energy from her and slurped it down, calming my lungs. Hilda fell over backwards and kicked away from me. "What's up with your chakra?" she demanded.

I pointed my sword at her and spat, "It's called Killing Intent. As in I'm going to _kill_ you."

My enemy leapt up and summoned a grass ape that looked like the fire ape Cheren and the water ape Bianca had used. "Simisage, bind them to the ground!"

Simisage smacked the ground, and roots shot out of the ground, weaving around my feet, back into the ground, and then around the feet of my Pokémon. I pulled on Katon's bond, and took on his typing. I performed the hand signs in my brain, and used the Grand Fireball technique.

My fireball flew through the space between us and caught Simisage on the shoulder, which was enough to knock it over, freeing us. Using Katon's blistering speed I ran over, and kicked the enemy Pokémon into Hilda, trapping her under her own unconscious Pokémon.

She shoved the enemy Pokémon off her and stood up, panting, "I'm not done yet! No way! I didn't come this far to lose to you!"

She summoned Pignite, and streams of flame connected them, swirling through the air like ribbons. "Nobody's tighter than Pignite and I. You're not the only one who's mastered advanced techniques."

I recalled Katon and Mokuton, took a deep breath, and connected to Suiton. She offered me a high-five and gave her one. We synced our breathing and I thought of Zabuza again. My chakra extended my sword again, and Suiton's eyes flashed. She used my bond to remember Zabuza too, I realized, even though I hadn't caught her yet.

Mist formed around us, and the fires Katon and Mokuton created began to go out, so I copied Suiton. "Hidden Mist Jutsu."

"That technique!" I heard Raikage exclaim, "The sword isn't for show! He's been taught by a swordsman of the Hidden Mist."

In the Land of Waves the mist had blinded me, but when it was my mist, it was more like feelers. I knew exactly where Pignite and Hilda stood in relation to me. When Suiton and I had filled the arena with mist, I leapt over them, standing just behind them. "We need to burn this mist away," Hilda whispered, "Nitro charge should do the trick."

"Not today," I whispered, and Suiton shot of the Water Dragon jutsu, which flew through the mist to chomp down on Pignite and carry it to the arena wall. Hilda fell over and screamed, "You're just a genin like me! How are you doing all this!?"

I spun my sword over my head like I'd seen my predecessor do, and whispered, "I'm heir to the Demon of the Hidden Mist."

Hilda went quiet, and I slashed forward, fully intending to kill her, but Raikage stopped me with one of his wrist guards. "This isn't what we signed up for," he said, "You win, Red Demon."

He tossed an unconscious Temari to my feet, and with a contemptuous flick of his wrist, pushed my blade back. Raikage looked me up and down one more time before he left. There wasn't much point to chasing him, I knew, so I recalled Suiton and scaled the arena wall to the Hokage building with Temari over my shoulder.

I pulled some ninja wire out of my bag and tied Temari up so she couldn't run away. "What are you doing?" an ANBU demanded, "we thought you were already gone."

"My Pokémon's in there," I said, and struck a meditative pose.

Jiton wasn't far from the barrier that separated us, and sent me an update on the battle that was happening inside. This Orochimaru guy had used forbidden jutsu to revive the first and second hokage, the Third's teachers, apparently, and used them to taunt the current hokage. The now thick and twisting trees inside the barrier were the result of the first hokage's kekkei genkai.

Jiton was camouflaged behind three clones of the Third hokage, but he couldn't actually see anything due to a genjutsu. I reached through our bond, and stopped all of his chakra movement for a few seconds, breaking the genjutsu. "What was that?" the Third Hokage whispered to himself.

Jiton connected me to him, and I projected, It's Brendan. I'm outside the barrier, but Jiton is inside. What do you need?

 _You've already done more than enough. Keep back._ the Third responded.

So I pulled Jiton away from the battle, and we watched. The three shadow clones shouted, "Death Reaper Seal!"

A blue, monstrous hand emerged from the Third's stomach, and another two from his respective shadow clones. Each hand grabbed onto one of the Third's opponents, the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Orochimaru himself. The two hokage were pulled into the Third Hokage's clones, a seal appeared on their abdomens, and then they disappeared.

"What's a Death Reaper Seal?" I asked the nearby ANBU.

The ANBU captain turned to me. "The Third Hokage is using _that_ jutsu? Things are that bad in there?"

I shrugged, "He's sealed the first and second hokages. He's pulling in Orochimaru."

Jiton drew me back before the ANBU could respond. A discarded katana began to glow blue, and float through the sky. It flipped to point at the third hokage's back, and shot through the air at him. Jiton flew after it, but was unable to secure it.

The katana went through the Third Hokage's back. "Doesn't matter," the Third said with a wide smile, "I've made a deal with Reaper. I'm already dead, but so are _you!_ "

The blue hand pulled a blue silhouette from Orochimaru's body. "Is that-?!"

"Your twisted soul," the Third answered, "And I'm going to lock the two of us away in hell forever. Sword or not."

Jiton grabbed the sword and pulled it out. "What is that?!" Orochimaru cried, "That Metang is silver! That boy!"

"Thank you, Brendan!" the Third shouted, and coughed blood.

"I won't go down like this!" Orochimaru shrieked, and tried to fall over backwards, away from the Third.

It was desperate, but it was enough. The blue hand came away with the silhouette's arms and sealed them inside the Third Hokage. "Fine. I won't take your soul," The Third chuckled, "but I will take your arms, your ability to use jutsu, and YOUR DREAM!"

Jiton took the sword, glided over to one of the four ninja maintaining the barrier, the one with six arms, and drove the sword through the barrier, into him. The barrier fell. "Move in!" I shouted, "Kill Orochimaru while he's weak!"

However, as the ANBU moved in, four figures in red hoods blocked them. A fifth person rushed in, and grabbed Orochimaru. The two of them passed right by me, and I recognized the fifth man. "Maxie?!" I shouted.

He looked over his shoulder as he ran, and then refocused on his path forward. The four Magma grunts grabbed the four sand ninja and flickered out of sight. "Oh dear god," I whispered.

The ANBU captain leapt over to me, and asked, "Who were those guys?"

"Team Magma," I said, "A Pokémon trainer gang."

Then Temari spoke, "Oh dear god."

The ANBU captain and I turned to see Shukaku, fully realized in the distance. "This day could not get worse," the ANBU muttered to himself.

Everything was quiet for a moment, "You shouldn't have said that," I reprimanded, "because now it's going to."

A giant toad appeared in the forest, opposite Shukaku, and it transformed into the Nine Tailed Fox. "See?" I asked, "You did that."

AN: If you have something I need to work on, please let me know in a review.


	25. Chapter 25

Ch 25

In the distance, just outside of the village walls, Shukaku and the Nine Tailed Fox were duking it out. I leapt onto Jiton, and said, "Grab Temari. She's going to help us take down Gaara."

Jiton grabbed the sand ninja, and we sped off through the air. "How do I make this stop?" I asked.

"You can't!" she exclaimed, "My father has jutsu designed to take Shukaku down, and he's not here."

"Orochimaru was," I countered, "Maybe your father wasn't involved in this coup."

She looked up at me, "You think that?"

"I'm not taking you to Ibiki, am I?" I asked.

Temari's face fell, "Your best case scenario is my father is dead, and my village was tricked by Orochimaru."

I swallowed hard and looked back to the battle before me. "It means I wouldn't have to kill you," I whispered, "and I'd hate to have to do that."

From the sea of trees below me, Steven-sensei emerged, riding his Metagross. He had Alder's poncho in his hands, and his eyes widened at seeing me. "You okay?" he called.

"The Third Hokage is dead!" I shouted, "I don't know what I'm doing, but the trouble's that way!"

The Elite Four rose from the trees too, Sydney on a vulture Pokémon I didn't recognize, Phoebe hanging from a Driftblim, Glacia stood on a Glalie, and Drake sat astride a Salamance. Glacia flew in front of me, and stopped, so I had to too. "You're Pokémon aren't ready for a Tailed Beast, let alone two."

"The Nine-tails is a toad disguised as a tailed beast," I said, pointing at it.

Drake stopped and turned to face me too. "A Toad? Jiraya is still in the village."

Steven-sensei shouted back, "Lord Jiraya has taken Naruto Uzumaki under his wing!"

Glacia flared her nostrils, and then continued after Drake towards the match. As they got close, and explosion of chakra erupted from the titanic clash, sending the Elite Four and Steven-sensei flying. I braced for it, but the chakra was so strong it still sent me and Jiton flipping backwards.

When we stopped, Shukaku and the Nine tails were gone. "Naruto!" I shouted.

Of course he couldn't hear me, but I'd shouted anyway. Jiton and I took off again, disregarding Glacia. A swath of destruction cut through the forest, trampled trees on top of whatever had been so unfortunate to be underfoot either Naruto or Gaara. But the number one hyperactive ninja himself was nowhere to be seen.

I reached for Jiton, and he dropped Temari, before falling to the ground himself. He was exhausted. I recalled him, and threw Temari over my shoulder again. "You can't seriously keeping throwing me around like this," she said, "You've got to be exhausted."

She wasn't wrong. I was seeing double, and I was practically out of chakra, but I stood on my own two feet. "I really hate losing," I mumbled, "Can't stand the idea of it."

I took a step, but tripped on a small branch, pitching myself forward onto a tree trunk. Temari stuck out her feet, and I held onto her so I didn't face plant. But before she could do anything, Wally appeared behind her, Kankuro over his shoulder. "Quite a pickle here, Brendan." He said, "You need me to help?"

"I tied her legs together, if she kicks me, she'll fall," I looked around, "into this clusterfuck of trees, she's just as likely to break her own neck as mine. Plus she likes me."

I pushed my right knee forward, planting it beneath me. I stood up, and Wally nodded his head to the right. "Naruto and that Gaara guy are over there."

I followed Wally, and sure enough, Naruto was using his chin to crawl towards Gaara. "Why are you doing this?" Gaara asked, "How are you so strong?"

"There are people that I care about," Naruto said, "and they saved me from the same loneliness that's hurting you so much."

"Why would you do something like this for anybody but yourself?" Gaara demanded.

"I'd do anything to save the people who are precious to me," Naruto answered, "They make me stronger than I should be!"

We leapt down, and stood next to Naruto. "How's Kage?" Wally asked.

"In his scroll," Naruto answered, "but we've got to stop Gaara."

"I… I give up," Gaara whispered, "I didn't know that there were others. Let alone that somebody like me could care for someone or be cared about."

I stepped over to him, and he saw Temari, and then Kankuro. "I… Temari… Kankuro… I'm sorry for everything. All of it. I should have been better to you."

I set Temari down next to Gaara, and wobbled over to Naruto. "Wally can hold down the fort until the Elite Four get here," I said.

Sasuke ran into the clearing, and exclaimed, "Sakura is safe!"

"Oh, good," Naruto said, and fell asleep in the dirt.

I took a knee and focused on breathing. Wally set Kankuro down and declared, "Well, all three Sand Siblings are now prisoners of the Hidden Leaf. Go team."

Kankuro blinked awake, and asked, "Where am I?"

"We lost," Gaara said, "Naruto beat me because he was… selfless. I've been so wrong."

I pulled down on my right eyelid to make a funny face at Kankuro, "Our jinchuriki is better than yours. Go Leaf village."

The adrenaline was fading fast, and a host of aches and bruises were making themselves known to me. I wobbled a bit, the world went black, and I was asleep before I hit the ground.

I spent the next day on bed rest, so naturally I missed the Third Hokage's funeral. I heard it was a beautiful service, but I must confess that I didn't feel much of a connection, so it didn't hit me as hard as it hit some of the others. Even May cried.

The second day I'd mostly recovered from the chakra exhaustion, and I started to wander the hospital. In the next room, Gaara took care of his siblings. It was like he was a totally different person. "What's your deal?" I asked him, "Are you crazy or misunderstood?"

He turned around, with gentle eyes that I wasn't ready for. "Naruto showed me I was wrong. I'm going to be different now," he bowed to me, "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."

Temari sat on her bed in relatively good shape, and watched Gaara. Kankuro was a different story. He was stuck in a genjutsu that would subside sometime in the next twenty four hours. I looked back to Gaara. It was weird. Everything about him, from the look in his eyes, to the way he stood and walked, was different. Could one fight really have that much of an effect on a person?

I stepped over to Temari and whispered, "You buy it?"

"I'm a bit more worried about being a P.O.W. at the moment," she said, "but yes. This is what Gaara was like a long time ago, before he started hurting people. It's like I got my baby brother back."

I nodded, before I left I said, "I'll put in a good word, if it matters."

Just outside their room were Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Steven-sensei, and Baki, the Hidden Sand jonin. The first two were advisors to the Hokage, and that was about all I knew about them. "Brendan, the Red Demon," Homura said, "A chunin and on the Hidden Cloud's radar."

Koharu pulled a Hidden Leaf flak jacket from behind her back, and offered it out to me, "Well done," she said, "Even though you're technically not a Hidden Leaf ninja, we feel obligated to present you with this to congratulate you at your achievements."

I gave her a look. "What does that mean? I risked my ass, even after the Hidden Sand offered me a job on that same technicality. I should get a damn medal."

Homura and Koharu were stunned to silence. I smiled, and made my way to my room, "Maybe you should start with a Hidden Leaf headband?"

Just before I entered my room, I said, "Oh, and be easy on the Sand Siblings. Their dad's probably dead."

"How do you know that?" Baki demanded.

"The Kazekage's body was found buried in the sand dunes of the Land of Wind," Steven-sensei confirmed, "with about half a year's worth of decomposition gone by. It's a safe bet that this whole thing was orchestrated by Orochimaru. We're allies again."

"Your student could do with a lesson in manners, Mr. Stone," Homura coughed, "But there's no denying his talent. Assuming his doctor's file isn't exaggerating, he should be fine to escort his prisoners out of the village tomorrow."

"Prisoner escorts cost an extra thousand ryo," I said, "on account of their uppity nature."

Inside my room was Norman, my father. "I don't think your mother raised you to speak to your elders like that."

I flipped him off, left the room, and closed the door behind me. I followed Steven-sensei into the Sand Sibling's room again. Koharu arched an eyebrow at me, and I said, "Oh, my father's in that room and I don't want to get in a fight right now."

Unsurprisingly, Norman followed me in, so I sat down next to Gaara and chided, "Can't you see that we're having an important tactical meeting about my prison escort?"

He held out a pokewhistle. "I wanted to give you this. You're ready to train with me and my other students in the dojo."

I summoned Jiton and leaned on him like he was a bookcase. "I've got something better, so you can blow your pokewhistle out your ass. I'll stick with Steven-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. They give a shit."

"Don't talk to me like that!" he reprimanded.

I nearly lost it, "Don't talk to me like you care!" I shouted, "You don't! If you cared for me, you would have been there to raise me! You are such a joke, and nobody seems to see it. A whistle? Really? Those Hidden Sound _Genin_ that got swept in the preliminaries could cripple your entire strategy!"

"Perhaps this isn't the place for this particular discussion," Homura offered.

"It's over," Norman spat, "He's made that very clear."

He stormed out and Koharu stared at me with a hard glare. Homura sighed, "Well, that was… enlightening. Look. An alliance seems natural to us, and I'm sure it will seem natural to your village elders. When you return to your village, ask them when we can send someone to negotiate."

Baki bowed, and said, "I'll do that. Thank you for taking such good care of my team."

Baki, Hormura and Koharu left, leaving us alone with Steven-sensei. "I'll send you guys some Iced Teas," then to Temari and I, "and I'm sorry you two had to fight. It's hard to fight a new friend."

When he left, things were awkward and quiet. "Look, I get it," I broke the silence, "you were doing what you guys thought were best. I'm sorry for the loss of your father."

"I'm not," Gaara said, "If things hadn't happened the way they did, I wouldn't have gotten to meet Naruto. Temari wouldn't have gotten to meet you. It was not a purely positive experience, no… but I think we've all become better for it happening."

"It's not like I don't like what you're saying, or your new attitude," I said, "and please don't take this personally, but you are freaking me out man."

"I suppose that's how things are going to be for a while," Gaara said, "but if I've made one friend in this trip, well, that's more than I ever thought I would."

I looked at Temari, and she shrugged. We enjoyed our iced teas, and the conversation wasn't unpleasant. Once Kankuro woke up, I left them to talk, but after a while Temari came over to my room and we talked about Yin and Yang late into the night.

The next day, I discarded my hospital robe, and pulled on my usual gear, cleaned and pressed by the staff, and walked into the next room. Temari stood ready, as Gaara helped Kankuro dress around his various bandages and splinted arm. I waited in silence, and May stopped by. "Oh. You guys are still here," she said, "I just wanted to check on Brendan, let him know the berry grove is doing great."

She handed me a brown paper bag and said, "This is your usual pick. Meet us Kanae's after you escort them?"

We hugged, and May took off. While Kankuro finished, I picked through the crop. They were fresh, with one or two of each type of berry. "We're ready," Gaara said just as I closed the bag up.

I nodded my head towards the door, "Okay then. Let's go."

We exited the hospital and leapt up to the rooftops. I turned to Kankuro, "I'd rather you guys avoid the streets," I explained, "but if you're not comfortable jumping right now, then we'll walk."

He sighed, "I'm good. Even if I'm not, well, I don't want to cause a riot."

We sped over the rooftops and towards the eastern gate of the village. When we got there, Baki was waiting for us. "I release these three to you," I offered my hand to him, "as a sign of good faith for our reborn alliance. You guys get home safe."

He shook my hand, and replied, "Thank you for treating them so well when you didn't have to. I hope we have more positive interactions going forward."

I nodded to Kankuro and Gaara as they walked by, and then offered out the bag of berries to Temari. "Plant them in loamy soil in a green house, and water them daily," I shook the bag, "It won't be as big as our berry grove, but it'll be a start, and you'll want it for your training going forward."

She took them with a smile, and said, "Thank you."

"Yin likes Pecha berries, and Yang likes Rawst berries for snacks," I continued, "so make sure to plant extras for those."

Temari looked inside, "Which ones are which?"

I grabbed the marker from Katon's scroll, and scribbled a brief berry guide on the side of the bag. "That should get you started."

She folded the bag carefully and handed it to Kankuro, who slipped it into his puppet's hands. "Black Ant will hold them for her," he said, "thank you for the help."

They took off, and I watched them go for a while. When I turned around, there was Temari. I blinked, and started to look over my shoulder, but she stopped me with a hand, and pulled me into a kiss. An adult kiss.

Her lips were soft, she smelled like vanilla, and there was a little tongue action. I pulled her hips to mine instinctively, and we stayed like that for a minute. When we separated, she winked, and disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Shadow clone?" I asked, "Well done."

I walked back into the village, and May and Wally were waiting for me. Wally sniggered, and May giggled. "You two are cute," she said, "but you better watch out, or I'll _turn_ her."

I stuck my hands behind my head and snorted, "Whatever. We've got training to do, right?"

AN: No battles in this one. That was refreshing.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch 26

When I got home the night after I'd escorted the sand ninja out of the village, I opened my desk drawer again, and pulled out Zabuza's scroll. I didn't summon the Executioner's blade, but I did read up on it. The blade was designed so that even if it broke, it could be repaired with the iron in blood. This was not just a sword designed to behead people, it was a sword for full sale slaughter.

I put the scroll down and meditated on it. I knew what it was to want to kill someone, sure. But that sword presented a dark path for its user. Did I want to be the Red Demon? My gut reaction was no, but Steven-sensei's words stuck in my head, calling me back to why I'd originally kept the blade: It's better to have and not need than to need and not have. I put the scroll back, and slept on it.

The next day, I pulled out the scroll again, and read up on the scroll's techniques. After Kakashi-sensei finished my speed training, I left to a different part of the forest, and tried out a few of the scroll's techniques by using my chakra to form an ethereal incarnation of the Executioner's blade. It came naturally. So practicing with the scroll was added to my routine.

A few days later, something happened by the river that ran through the village. I heard something about a missing-nin rolling through the village, looking for someone, but nobody would tell me who. Kakashi-sensei missed our training session, so I figured it was bigger than I was allowed to know about, so I sought out Steven-sensei. His Metagross found me first, however, and picked me up, flying me over to the village gate. Wally and May were standing with him. "What's going on?" I asked.

"The village asked us to go on an important mission," Steven-sensei explained, "But we're not going. As Brendan pointed out to the village elders, we are technically mercenaries, and we don't have to take any of the jobs that they assign us. Brendan, of course, was advanced to chunin, and I feel we're sending the proper message to the elders by taking a vacation in celebration."

"Really?!" Wally exclaimed, "That's awesome!"

Steven-sensei narrowed his eyes, and glowered at him, "None of you will be excused from your training, of course. Especially not those of you whom are being remodeled for losing in the preliminaries, yeah?"

"Oh no," Wally whispered, "I'm already falling apart."

I took a look at Wally. Whenever he moved his hands, despite his long sleeves, I noticed the missing gouges of flesh from his knuckles, and the scars racing up and down his fingers. He'd have to been training taijutsu to do that to himself. Wally had never by any means been fat, but his face was a bit thinner, the muscles on his neck more pronounced.

Steven-sensei smiled, and said, "Don't worry. They have ice baths and steam baths where we're going, so you'll recover faster."

"Oh thank god," Wally sighed with relief.

"Of course, I'll be running you twice as hard," Steven-sensei teased, "but hey, you'll be too tired to care."

Wally stepped behind May and squeaked. Steven-sensei pointed down the road in front of us and declared, "To Lavaridge town!"

We ran with our fastest pace to the west. Around dusk we reached Mt. Chimney, and then went a little to the south. While most of Mt. Chimney was surrounded by plains, the south had a forest nearby, and when we reached it, we took a moment to marvel at it. The trees were gigantic, green, and full of life, despite the sooty air, and each tree had a lantern hanging from one its branches, lighting the forest floor.

Steven-sensei allowed us to walk through the forest, enjoying the rest the walk provided, and taking in the sights. The father towards the center of the forest we got, the more lanterns we found. Finally, in the center of the forest, was a clearing, inside which a town had been built. "Welcome to Lavaridge," Steven-sensei said, "I've got rooms for us at the inn."

The inn was about three stories tall, with this beautiful tiled red roof, and it built into a square around a hot spring. As we walked in, a woman in a kimono approached us, bowed, and said, "You must be Steven Stone and party. Your rooms are ready."

May hummed her appreciation, "Fancy…"

Each of us had our own room, every one of them the size of a respectable bed room, with a futon, robes, and towels for the spring. The woman handed each of us a bell. "We will have an attendant outside of each of your rooms, ring your bell, and food will be brought to you with the utmost haste."

With that, she left, and Steven-sensei turned to us. "Well then, I'm retiring. Wally, you should too. May, Brendan… enjoy the springs, you've earned it."

Wally deflated and returned to his room, so May and I went to ours, grabbed our towels, and went back to the lobby. On one side of the lobby was a pink flap concealing the entrance to the female side of the hot spring, and on the opposite side was a blue flap concealing the entrance to the male side. I dashed through the blue flap, disrobed, tied my towel around my waist, and looked at my bag. I didn't want to leave it just anywhere, so I took it into the spring with me.

The hot spring had a bamboo fence dividing the male and female sections of the spring, luxurious soaps lined one of the walls, incense burned vanilla, but the best part was that the spring was open air, so I could see the stars, and I gasped at the sight of them. So many more were visible without all the lights of the village, and the view was magnificent out in the country. I summoned Suiton, and we got into the spring.

I pressed my back to the bamboo fence, Suiton sunk to the bottom, splayed out on the rock bottom of the spring, and we both let out a relaxed sigh. "That you, Brendan?" came from over the wall.

"Wassup May?" I called back.

She giggled, "This is pretty great. Beats helping with reconstruction."

"You see the stars?" I asked.

She gasped. "Wow. You know, I get it. My mom told me these springs have magic powers of recovery and restoration, and I didn't buy it, but I can see it now. This place is perfect."

"Suiton's hanging out on the bottom," I said, and reached through our bond, drinking in her sensations, "Apparently it's even better at the bottom."

"For water Pokémon, maybe," May chortled, "Don't go take a nap down there yourself."

With that, the conversation died. It wasn't like we didn't want to talk, but we were entirely content to just sit there for a while. A few minutes later, May knocked on the wall, grunted a goodbye, and waded back through the water towards her room.

I waited a bit longer, and was about to leave when a blonde woman entered the male section of the bath. She had her hair done in two pony tails, a purple diamond tattooed onto her forehead, and based on her rosy cheeks, and slurred speech, "Whaaat? Thererere's a boyy in hurr!" she was drunk.

"Ma'am… this is the male section of the bath," I said, and Suiton raised a wall of water between us, "You should go find someone who can take care of you."

She walked through the water wall, knocking it down, and over to me, "Did Jiraya send you?!" she demanded, "because you'd think he'd have learned after the last time."

The water had left her clothes sticking to her skin, and she was voluptuous, to put it lightly, so I averted my eyes. "This is the male section of the bath!" I shouted, "You're peeping on me lady!"

A woman with short, black hair, a piglet in her arms, dressed in a conservative yukata ran into the baths, horror plain on her face, "Lady Tsunade!" she shrieked, "This is not the female section of the bath!"

I picked Suiton up by her shoulders and held her so she blocked my maleness, and ran out of the baths, "You guys can have it!"

When I reached my clothes, I realized I'd left my bag back in the baths. "Suiton, go grab my bag and run back."

I pulled on my underwear and pants without drying, waited for Suiton, and we sprinted back to my room. Once I was inside, I locked the door behind me, used the robe to towel off, and looked to Suiton, who was smiling at me in the corner while making these odd popping sounds. I reached out through our bond, and realized that she was laughing at me. I recalled her to her scroll and hit the sack.

A knock on the door woke me up. I grabbed my toothbrush and answered it. Steven-sensei handed me a piece of paper, with exercises, sets, and reps on it. Skarmory stepped into my room past us, and he said, "Skarmory will keep you honest. Get your training done today. What you do after that is on you. I'll be with Wally all day. Tomorrow you three are testing yourselves against a friend of mine named Flannery."

He left in a poof of smoke, and I turned to Skarmory. "Vacation did sound too good to be true," I mused, and it clicked its metallic beak at me.

I got through my morning routine with all the speed I could muster, and left my room with Skarmory in tow. May was waiting outside with Aggron beside her. "I was thinking we could train in the same area," she said, "If you're not against it."

I pointed my arm down the hallway, gesturing for her to lead the way, which she did. We left the inn, I hurried us past the drunken blonde woman, and headed just north of the forest. "This works for me," May looked back to me, "How about you?"

I looked at the paper, and it included the usual speed and strength training for my kenjutsu. "Sure," I turned to Skarmory, "Did you bring what I need?"

It let out a couple hacking coughs, and spat up my weighted practice sword, along with the wrist and ankle weights Guy had suggested to Kakashi-sensei. I pulled on the weights, and picked up the sword. "Not bad," May remarked, "Not as good as Lee or me, but not bad."

Training was quiet with the exception of our grunts of effort. It took us about three hours to train, and we took two water breaks in that time, but by the end, we were splayed out on the ground, exhausted. Skarmory and Aggron left us to tell Steven-sensei. "How was that?" I asked, "Can I get invited to the Taijutsu club?"

May chuckled, "I'll talk to Guy when we see them next."

An inquisitive squeak came from above our heads, so I tilted my head up to see a pair of electric mouse Pokémon. On the right, by May's head was a red one with a tail patterned like a plus sign, a Plusle and on the left was a blue one with a minus sign tail, a Minun. Sparks of electricity ran along their paws like pom-poms, and they squeaked loudly with game faces on.

They leapt, and jabbed for our faces. May and I rolled away from each other and to our feet. "You got any pokescrolls?" I asked.

She nodded her head, so I backpedaled away from the two Pokémon. May summoned Pogo and Cackle. Cackle went for Minun with no reservations, fangs glowing purple with poison. Minun panicked, and got swept up, and thrown away.

Poison seeped into Minun, it slowed, and then jumped up and down, waving its pom-poms. Plusle glowed with blue light, generated a ball of electricity on its tail, jumped into the air, and flicked its tail, sending the Electro-Ball at Cackle.

Electricity ran rampant over Cackle's fur, and he fell over, swirls for eyes. May flicked her right wrist, sending a pokescroll after Minin for a quick capture. Plusle's blue light faded, and it turned to May just as Tiny stepped between them.

Plusle hit Tiny with an Electro-Ball too, but Tiny flicked it away. Plusle shivered, and May's second pokescroll reached around her pokeon to grab Plusle. Plusle was captured easily too.

I gave May my best golf clap. She smiled, and recalled her Pokémon. "These two are a pretty great combination," she held out the pokescrolls to me, "Pick one. That way we'll have a great combination."

"They're your Pokémon," I said, "You should keep them."

She shook our head, "You need an electric Pokémon to balance out your party," she insisted, "Take one."

I grabbed Minun's scroll and named him Raiton. May smiled, and said, "I'll name mine Sparky."

We went back to Lavaridge Town and explored. There was this herb shop that boasted bitter herbs, a heated sand therapy masseuse that we took advantage of, and even a tea shop. Guess where we hung out.

As dusk came, Wally stumbled into the tea shop. His face was severely bruised, eyes nearly shut, his knuckles were bandaged, and his legs wobbled. "You ok buddy?" I asked.

He sighed, "I did this to myself. Lot stronger now. Gonna look back on this as a good thing eventually."

May poked his forehead, blood leaked down his face into his eyes, and he suppressed a scream poorly. "What is he doing to you?" May asked.

Wally sat up straight, and like he was reciting a textbook, said "Human re-modeling is the process of turning a person's white muscle, which is used for explosive power, and red muscle, which is used for endurance, but isn't very strong, and turning both kinds into pink muscle, which is both strong and enduring. This technique has been passed to us by the vaunted Akisame Koetsugi, judo philosopher."

May and I shared a look, and then we offered him a tea. We headed back to the inn, and Wally got to use the hot spring after his ice bath.

The next day, Steven-sensei woke us up, and led us through Lavaridge to the center of town. There was a thatch roof built over a hot spring. This hot spring had rocks throughout it that stuck just above the water line like platforms, so I leapt onto one.

In the middle of the spring was a giant rock, and on it was a tall woman with long, red hair that shot out in a messy ponytail, resembling a volcano erupting out of the back of her head. She wore a black tube top, red pants, and fire danced in her hands. "I'm Flannery, your next test," she declared, "I haven't been a Leader for a long time, but know this…. I'm- I'm Fierce! My Fiery Pokémon and I will _crush_ you!"

She summoned a Torkoal, Numel, and a Camerupt. Wally summoned Gen, the Kirlia, I summoned Suiton, and May summoned Pogo. "Suiton, hidden mist technique!" I shouted, and she pulled the water from the hot spring into the air, creating a thick, hot mist, obscuring the field from everyone.

"Gen, link us up!" I shouted, and pulled on Suiton's bond.

As Gen linked us up, I used the Mist to locate our targets. _we know where she is, but she can't see us!_ Wally exclaimed through the link.

Flannery's voice came through the mist like a megaphone, "Sunny Day!"

A yellow orb appeared deep in the mist, and pulse with light that dispelled Suiton's technique. Flannery's Numel revealed itself to be responsible. Torkoal stood next to it, but Camerupt was nowhere to be seen. "Shit!" I exclaimed, and then, "Water gun!"

Suiton shot a stream of water at Torkoal, but between the Hot Spring, and Numel's miniature sun, the water evaporated before it could reach it target. I funneled chakra to my mouth, and did the proper hand signs to turn it into mud. I shot a similar stream of mud at Torkoal, and even though the mud dried out, it still connected with the enemy Pokémon, or so I thought.

Fire flared out from the other side of my mud, and bore its way through my jutsu, dousing me in flame. When the fire reached me, it exploded with the force of an explosive tag, sending me backwards into the hot spring, and I panicked for a moment. Numel's sun was going to have to go.

I sat up, just in time to see Torkoal collect sunlight from Numel's sun, and collect it in a ball in its mouth. It spat the ball so it arched over Suiton, and when it reached the peak of its arch, released a powerful Solar Beam attack directly down. The move was super-effective, knocking Suiton out instantly.

Flannery was no joke, and it wasn't like I'd treated her as such, but I hadn't been ready by any means. "Get Numel!" I shouted.

Pogo shot a silver blast of psychic energy at the enemy Pokémon, and while Numel held its ground, only being pushed back a few inches, it didn't maintain its Sunny Day. A purple Halo of energy came from my right, colliding with Numel's head, and its eyes flashed with color, but it didn't show any signs of pain.

"Numel has its own tempo, it can't be confused like that!" Flannery gloated, "Sunny Day!"

I recalled Suiton, and summoned Raiton. "Wally, take point with Nin, May, combo with me!"

Wally recalled Gen, and summoned Nin, his Sableye, while May summoned Sparky. "Helping Hand!" May and I shouted in sync.

Raiton flashed with blue electric pom-poms, Sparky did the same, but red, and the two began to jump up and down, powering Nin up. "Now!" I shouted.

"Shadow Ball," Wally commanded, and then Nin collected three times the usual shadow matter.

Numel never stood a chance. This Shadow Ball hit it so hard, Numel was consumed inside the dark sphere, and carried out from under the thatch roof. "Raiton, get over by Sparky," I whispered, and turned to May, "Keep them safe."

Pogo got between the cheering duo and Flannery while I resumed the search for Camerupt. It was nowhere to be seen, but I noticed several of the hot spring's platforms had holes in them, leading to I didn't know where. "Take down Torkoal, I'll go after Camerupt."

As I jumped down one of the holes, the buzzing sound of shadow matter collecting filled my ears. Below the spring was an entire cavern, also filled with near boiling water, with multiple openings back up to the surface.

Camerupt was behind me, moving towards where I knew Lucky and Raiton were on the above floor. Mokuton and Jiton would get torn apart in this environment, and while Katon was a gamble underground like this, it was better than the sure weaknesses of my other two options.

I summoned Katon, and he pushed his chakra into me, so I absorbed his characteristics. The speed was incredible, so I drew my sword, and I funneled chakra into it to give it a better edge, and it lit on fire. I leapt up into the air, and Katon kicked Camerupt up at me, so I slashed, not doing much damage, but keeping it from ruining the above ground strategy.

Camerupt flared its nostrils at me, and the humps on its back erupted, sending a pillar of flame directly up, widening one of the entry holes to the cavern. Katon and I smiled, and I ran out onto the roof where there wasn't a hole. Camerupt lumbered beneath me, and shot the fire straight up.

I was fast enough to dodge it, but Camerupt created a new hole, bringing all the water from the above spring down on its head. Katon and I leapt up through the new hole, and I cackled, "Two down! One to go!"

Flannery fell to a knee, and Torkoal retracted its legs and spun like a top over to Flannery, stopping to nuzzle its head into her hand. She looked back up at us, and declared, "We're not done yet! My might will overcome you!"

Katon and I fell into defensive stances. "Overheat!" Flannery cried, and Torkoal spewed a fireball the size of a house at Nin.

Nin phased through the ground, but behind him was Pogo. "Light Screen," May ordered, and Pogo created a shining shield in front of it.

The fireball collided with the shield, shattered it, and engulfed Pogo. When the fire faded, Pogo was still standing, but heavy burns covered its body. It wobbled and fell to a knee. "Overheat!" Flannery repeated.

The second fireball was only the size of a Snorlax, but it still engulfed Pogo again, who wasn't able to get another Light Screen up. When the fire faded, Pogo was on its back with swirls for eyes, but Sparky and Raiton were untouched. "Finish it Nin!" Wally cried.

Nin phased up through the ground behind Flannery and Torkoal with another giant Shadow Ball. The ghost attack slammed into Flannery and her fire Pokémon, carrying them both over to our side of the spring.

Everything went quiet, Torkoal was motionless, but Flannery managed to sit up. "Not bad," she coughed, then fell onto her back, "Who am I kidding? I never stood a chance. I was trying to be what I thought a leader should be instead of who I usually am."

I walked over to her, and offered out a hand, "Trying to use the hot water against water Pokémon is a bold strategy," I remarked, "it worked pretty well, if it weren't for that bottom cavern I don't know if we'd have been able to recover."

She grabbed onto my hand, and pulled herself up. "It didn't work well enough. I'll find another strategy."

She gave us our badges, recalled her Pokémon, and walked off with more than a slight limp. Wally, May, and I returned to Steven-sensei, who was waiting just outside. He smiled, patted Wally on the back, "Well done. Not good enough to end your remodeling, but damn good."

Wally began to shake again, and Steven-sensei guided us back to the inn. Outside of it was none other than my father. He opened the door, and shouted, "See? I told you they'd be here."

"I thought we'd reached an agreement Norman," Steven-sensei said through a fake smile, "I'm training Brendan, not you."

My father twitched, and turned around with a bigger fake smile, "I remember. Got some other people looking for you."

Might Guy and Baki of the hidden sand stepped out of the inn. "There they are!" Guy declared, "Of course May and her team would journey to a hot spring, not for vacation, but for the next step in their collective training. We look forward to joining you in your endeavors."

He gave us a thumbs up and his teeth glinted for a brief moment. Baki gave him a sideways glance, "Hokage has allowed us to train with you as a sign of our renewed friendship," he said, "We too are excited at the opportunity."

Steven-sensei did not release Wally's shoulders, in fact, based on Wally's renewed gibbering, his grip got tighter. "This one is undergoing some serious training, and as such, neither he nor I am at liberty to aid your teams, however, Brendan and May are more than capable of aiding you in your training."

Team Guy and Team Baki filed out behind their respective sensei's, and Norman stepped over to Wally. "I could help you with your remodeling, Steven, if it's okay with you."

Steven-sensei smiled so wide it made me nervous, and Wally went still as stone, "Well, having two people work the mechanisms makes the training more intense. How can I say no?"

Wally pleaded to me and May with his eyes, but we were too scared to move. "Mechanisms?" I asked, and clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Mechanisms," Steven-sensei confirmed menacingly.

Steven-sensei, Wally, and Norman left together, headed towards Mt. Chimney. May and I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to the genin before us. "Dibs on Team Guy!" May exclaimed, and she and Lee high-fived.

I turned to the sand siblings and nodded, "That works for me."

All three of them were dressed very differently, but none of it was bad, per se. Temari had this lavender kimono, a light breastplate that didn't quite cover her cleavage, and a red sash around her waist. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

AN: sorry it took me a day longer than usual. Promise ch 27 will be out tomorrow.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch 27

Baki and Guy left to watch Wally's training, and May took Team Guy off into the forest. "How do you guys want to do this?" I asked.

"You're the teacher today, aren't you?" Kankuro asked.

Temari smiled, "We'll follow your lead, Brendan."

"Okay," I said, and walked into the inn.

Once I had them all filed into the room, I rang the food bell, and explained, "Hope you guys don't mind, I'm kinda hungry."

Temari leaned against the door frame behind me, Gaara sat down by the opposite wall, and Kankuro shrugged his puppet off, leaning on it in the middle of the room. "So long as you're buying."

"It's on Steven-sensei," I said with a smile, and brought out Katon's pokescroll, "but we should get to business. This is a pokescroll. It contains a Pokémon. Pokémon specialists like me, capture a variety of Pokémon in a balanced style to handle whatever comes our way. We can do this because we spend extra time in an Academy, or trainer's school, learning about Pokémon. I've memorized over three hundred Pokémon and counting."

Kankuro sighed, "So it's like that, huh? We gonna read books?"

"Just you," I quipped, "the others seem a bit faster on the up take."

I paused, but not long enough for Kankuro to formulate and vocalize a response, "You guys are going to use my knowledge to find and capture Pokémon that suit your current abilities, combinations, and ninjutsu. No books unless you make me mad."

Kankuro sat back, an eyebrow climbing his forehead. "Okay, like how?"

I gestured to Temari and said, "Temari has two Pokémon already. They can add gusts of wind to her own, or lace her jutsu with poison and stun spores. That's all great, but she's very vulnerable to electric and fire attacks. Ground Pokémon are completely immune to electric attacks and highly resistant to fire Pokémon. Very few ground Pokémon, however suit Temari's style."

"Except…" Temari prompted.

"Flygon," I responded, "A flying, ground/dragon Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Trapinch, a small, Pokémon found in the desert near the border between our countries."

Gaara clapped politely. "You really are quite good, aren't you?"

I beamed, "I do my best for my friends. I'm glad we'll get a second shot at that."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a maid came in with a food cart. The tray had four platters of salmon over rice, and a fifth platter had a small mountain of burgundy cookies. "Lemon Salmon, and the house special: Lava Cookies."

The maid handed each of us a salmon plate, and left the cookies in the center of the room. The smell of the food left me ravenous, and I forgot my lesson while I gobbled the fish down. When I was finished, I set the plate down and grabbed a cookie. "I had no idea how hungry I was," I said with a chuckle, "snuck up on me, I guess."

Gaara swallowed a bite, and said, "A real treat to enjoy the food here again. The Land of Fire's cuisine is really different."

"But it's not bad," Kankuro said, "I like the lemon sauce."

"Do they have those iced tea things here?" Temari asked.

"Doubt it," I said and took a bite of the cookie.

It was sweet, but it had a little kick to it. "So, to business. Gaara, with your sand, you may also want to train a Flygon, so I'll recommend you catch a Trapinch. You should also grab a couple ground Pokémon to help you manipulate your sand. It'll just make your reaction time faster."

He nodded, and bit into a cookie. His eyes widened, and he looked at the cookie like it was the face of god. "This… is delicious."

Kankuro and Temari put down their food to try a cookie, and they all had the same reaction. "You guys really are related, aren't you?"

Kankuro laughed, "And getting along a lot better now. What about me? Should I also grab a Trapinch?"

"Nah." I said, "You need something with a bit more subtlety than a dragon. Some Ghost, or Psychic types, I'd imagine. Come to think of it, Shuppet is a ghost puppet. It could control your puppets from underground, and Baltoy, a psychic top Pokémon, evolves into Claydol, a Pokémon that can detach its arms with telekinetic power. They're not far from here either."

I pulled out my pokedex and mapped out the two Pokémon. "Baltoy is found in the same area as Trapinch, and Shuppet… there's a graveyard about two miles in the opposite direction."

I stood up and checked my supplies while Temari and Kankuro finished their food. "How's the berry grove coming along?' I asked absently.

Temari held up a finger while she chewed, and after swallowing, "Good. Great. We set them up in a little greenhouse. They grow quick. Soon I'll have more than I know what to do with."

She took another bite so I said, "Sell the surplus to the local medics. Little extra cash, and maybe they'll fund a bigger greenhouse."

She nodded enthusiastically, and it got quiet again. She and I were doing a lot of taking turns looking at each other. It was a bit sappy or whatever, but I was thinking of reasons to get her alone. Not to do anything weird, but I really wanted to kiss her again.

Anyway, when Kankuro was done and Gaara had packed his fill of cookies, we left the room, and then the inn. "We're off," Temari said, and turned towards the Trapinch habitat, but I stopped her.

"You have any blank pokescrolls?" I asked.

"You don't?" she asked.

I nodded towards the local pokemart sign, and started walking. Once we were inside, I said, "Pokemarts are popping up everywhere. Look for the blue roof and spinning sign. Pokescrolls are always in the back."

I grabbed five, and bought them. "Your first ones are on me," I said, "but you may want to buy a few yourselves. You never know when you'll bump into a Pokémon you'll want."

Gaara grabbed an armful and said, "My treat."

Once all the scrolls had been bought and distributed, we left the forest and took off to the west, towards the border. When the grass turned to sand, I looked to Temari and asked, "You mind being our eyes in the sky?"

She unfolded her fan with a contemptuous flick. "I'll need you to show me what to look for."

I unclipped the pouch containing Jiton's pokescroll, but she jumped onto her fan and grabbed me as she ascended into the air. I'd like to say that I handled it pretty well, but I'd be lying. "Oh my god!" I shouted as I was dragged airborne.

Temari pointed and laughed at my squeamishness. It was contagious. I must have looked quite the fool. "Dick move," I sighed.

She shrugged, and looked out from her fan, "What are we looking for?"

I moved so I was peering over her shoulder, and her back was pressed against my back. She looked over at me from the corner of her eye, and I scanned the desert below. "You're a bold one," she purred.

I grinned, "You like it," and I pointed to a random pit in the middle of a sand dune, "and I'd wager one's right there."

My favorite Sand kunoichi dove for it, so I grabbed onto her waist, and she gasped. When we reached the ground she folded her fan in front of her, and summoned Yang. She pointed two fingers at the pit, and Yang blew Stun Spores into it. "When you want to catch it, unfurl the scroll and flick your wrist at it," I said.

A tiny screech erupted out of the center of the pit, and a Trapinch crawled out. Temari pointed her fist at the wild Pokémon, and Yang blew a gust at it, sending it spiraling through the air, and back into the sand dune on its back. She flicked her wrist, the scroll shot out, wrapping around the Pokémon and then reeling it in.

White smoke erupted out of it, confirming the capture. "That was easy," Temari mused, "Why do I need you?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm the eye candy," I chuckled.

Gaara and Kankuro came over the neighboring dune, and I let go of her waist. Gaara eyed me up and down, before whispering, "You'd best be careful, Temari isn't someone you can just mess around with."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything. Kankuro patted Gaara's back, "Lighten up. Brendan's alright. You mind getting us a proper view this time?"

Gaara lifted his arms, and a cloud of sand carried him and his brother into the air. They took off to the north, leaving Temari and me alone. She looked at me, and I looked right back, then we were kissing again. For all her mean streak, and smart mouth, when I had her in my arms she was soft and made me feel light as air.

When we came apart both of us were breathing hard. "You ever used a hot spring?" I asked.

She quirked an eyebrow at me, "Not sure I want to move that fast."

I smiled, "Not like that, but there's one in the middle of Lavaridge that we could wear swimwear into."

She bit her lip. "They sell swimsuits at Pokemarts?"

"One way to find out," I said, and summoned Jiton.

I leapt up and offered her my hand. She stepped up, and looked to the north where her brothers had gone. "What about them?"

"They'll catch up," I said, "Or at least make it back to Lavaridge."

Jiton took off, flying over the dunes, and we made great time back to the forest that concealed the little hot spring town. However, as we went through the forest, I head a familiar voice shout, "I said I'll master the jutsu in a week and I meant it! Believe it!"

Jiton came to a stop, and without me asking, changed direction, flying towards Naruto's voice. In a small clearing Naruto was staring down that blonde woman who'd walked in my bath. "That- that's Lady Tsunade, of the Sanin," Temari gasped.

"That drunk woman walked in on me in the hot springs," I said.

Naruto waved a balloon in her face, summoned a shadow clone, and the clone jabbed at it so that without gripping the balloon, it popped somehow. Lord Jiraiya stepped out of the shadows, and said, "Well done, Naruto. But you've already mastered that step. You're supposed to be working on containment! Don't pop the balloon."

Naruto's hands fell to his sides and he panted, "I'm close! I've got this. I don't go back on my word."

Jiraiya looked up into the trees and asked, "Who's up there?"

Jiton drifted down so they could see us clearly. "Brendan?" Naruto demanded, "What are you doing out here?!"

"Training, Same as you," I said, "Although not with such vaunted figures."

A light braying called everyone's attention away from Naruto to a Vulpix, standing at the edge of the clearing. The fur on its back was standing on edge, and it charged Naruto. It bit his hand, causing Naruto to run around screaming, and I sighed. "What's this thing's deal?!" he screamed.

I rolled my eyes, and leaned back toward town, prompting Jiton to move again. "It wants you to catch it you idiot!" I called over my shoulder.

Temari looked from him to me, and asked, "What is that squirt's deal?"

"He's a jinchuriki," I responded, "They usually come out a bit weird. He helped Gaara, isn't that enough?"

Temari reflected on that for a moment, "I suppose it is. It's good that Gaara can count a person like him among his friends."

When we got back to town, Kankuro and Gaara were waiting. Gaara had three pokescrolls with newly captured Pokémon held aloft, while Kankuro had two. "You guys work fast," I mused, "did you bump into Naruto too?"

Gaara's eyes widened. "Naruto is here?"

I pointed my thumb over my shoulder and said, "Thataway. Training with two of the three sanin."

"I should say hello," Gaara said, and walked by us.

Kankuro stared at each of us for a moment, then sighed, "I'll go find Baki and watch those jonin torture that Wally kid."

I spurred Jiton to Flannery's hot spring, picked up Temari bridal style, and leapt down one of the holes. The water was about hip deep, so she didn't get soaked until she pushed off me and landed in the water. She leapt out of the water, and pushed me against a wall, holding my hands over my head, and kissed me. When she let me breathe I gasped, "kinky."

"Shut up," she chastised, and kissed me again.

AN told you I'd have this chapter ready on time!


	28. Chapter 28

Ch 28

Training in Lavaridge was a high point. Team Baki were naturals, my own training left me feeling stronger each day. Mokuton, Suiton, and Katon even learned some new moves. The best part, however, was that I got to spend time with Temari and May. Of course, Naruto was there too, training day in and day out to master the Rasengan, some advanced jutsu. On Friday, the day before we'd head back to the village, Temari found me watching him trying not to pop a water balloon with his chakra. "What's your fascination with this idiot?" she asked, "He's tenacious, and he's a good kid, but you're always checking in on him."

"He's my idiot," I explained, "Plus, I mean… c'mon, usually you have to watch a movie for this kind of comedy."

Naruto popped another balloon, leading to his collapse and a vigorous round of swearing. Gaara stepped out of the shadows with a few soldier pills, and Temari chuckled, "You're not wrong, I guess."

Before we could see if Naruto would get up again or not, May arrived on our branch. "It's time," she said, "the final exam, as it were."

I nodded, and stood up. "Final Exam?" Temari asked.

I grinned at her, "Go grab Gaara and Kankuro. Meet us at the foot of Mt. Chimney, where Wally is being trained."

May and I took off, leaving them behind. Team Guy was waiting for us. "What's this about a final exam?" Neji asked, "I didn't know we were being tested."

Team Baki wasn't far behind us, and May waved us over to Wally's training apparatus. Wally was suspended above a fire by his ankles, with Steven-sensei and my father in front and behind him respectively. Wally was being prompted to move his torso back and forth over the fire. If he hung at the bottom, he burned, and if he stayed too long on either side, Norman or Steven-sensei would poke him with a kunai. Predictably, Wally was covered in scars and burns, but his muscle mass had doubled, and his fat was at a bare minimum. Guy and Baki watched with a mix of fascination and horror.

When Guy saw us, he waved at us and declared, "Lee! We've got to incorporate this into our workout regimen. These results are fantastic! Wally has become a stunning example of youth and determination!"

Steven-sensei focused on us, but did not provide Wally with any reprieve. "Is it already Friday?" he asked.

"It's time!" I shouted, "Can Wally come down to watch?"

Steven-sensei bit his lip for a moment, and then refocused on Wally. "No," he decided, "Wally is almost done himself."

I shrugged to May, and turned to face our new Pokémon recruits. "Okay. We've helped you guys catch and train your Pokémon, but now we're going to test just how well you've incorporated them into what you do by a good old fashioned fight. Team Guy vs. Team Baki."

I held out my right hand, and said, "Team Guy over here," and then held out my right, "and Team Baki over here."

May drew a line between them and said, "Okay… so this is gonna be a bit like capture the flag, okay?"

An explosion of chakra to the east called all our attention. In the distance, I could just barely make out the forms of a giant snake, toad, and slug. "I know those summons!" Guy declared, "What are the Sanin doing here?"

"Two of them are training Naruto," May answered, "Right?"

I took a step towards the battle, "If Orochimaru is here, then there's a good chance that Team Magma is in the area. They could be after the shrine again!"

Steven-sensei unclipped Wally's legs. "Okay. I want the jonin to come with me to the battle, see what we can do to assist. I'm putting all the genin under Brendan's command. Your mission is to pick up Naruto, see what he knows, and report any valid information to us. If you see Team Magma, monitor them. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary, understood?"

Baki looked to his team and said, "Time to earn a little good will, okay? Do what you think is best."

Gaara cleared his throat and looked to me, "We're with you, Brendan."

I nodded my head, and all nine of us took off towards the forest. "Temari, get into the sky! If you see that knucklehead somewhere he isn't supposed to be, let us know!"

She took off into the air and ahead of us. Almost instantly she glided down into the treeline, so we adjusted course, and followed her lead. Naruto had summoned four clones in a defensive formation around a middle aged man in coke bottle glasses clutching a giant rock in his arms like it was his baby. Four Team Magma grunts were slowly encroaching on him, each with a numel and a poochyena at their sides.

I stopped just short of the clearing and held up my fist, then gestured either way, so the other genin encircled the grunts. "On my signal," I whispered as they left.

After a moment passed, I charged the nearest grunt, and drove my sword through his back for the instant kill. Kankuro's puppet grabbed the grunt clockwise to me, and tore him to shreds with its bladed arms, while Tenten filled the counter-clockwise grunt with senbon needles till he looked like a porcupine. The grunt opposite me stepped backwards in a moment of panic, where May was waiting to snap his neck.

"Oh my god!" the man squealed, "there's more of them?"

Naruto dispelled his clones and said, "It's okay Professor Cosmo, these guys are friends of mine. And those other guys, well, they killed a lot of our friends a few weeks ago. They deserved what they got."

"Why is Team Magma after you?" I demanded.

Professor Cosmo looked down at the rock in his arms. "This Meteorite is giving off massive amounts of Natural Energy. Team Magma wants to use it to set off Mt. Chimney, to awaken the legendary Pokémon within!"

"We can take care of it from here," I insisted, "Lee, drop your weights, grab this bad boy."

Lee pulled the weights from his leg warmers, dropped them, and grabbed the meteorite. Professor Cosmo didn't fight it at first, but then he ran up and grabbed me, "You have to take that to Steven Stone. He's the only one strong enough to keep Team Magma at bay!"

I lightly pushed him off me. "That's the plan."

"Back into the sky," I said to Temari, "Go ahead of us. Everybody else, I want a defensive formation around Lee."

"Sentinel," Neji said as he summoned a Tailow, and then activated his Byakugan, "No enemies in the direct vicinity."

Gaara pulled some sand from his gourd and took to the sky, I stood next to Lee, and pointed forward, "Let's go!"

So, we went straight for the battle between the Sanin. When we exited the forest we saw that Team Magma had arrived in force. Each jonin was totally surrounded by Magma grunts, fighting off Pokémon and trainer alike with desperation. Well, except for Steven-sensei, who was once again, locked in combat with Maxie, Mega-Metagross and Mega-Camperupt entrenched in pitched combat.

I was captain, it was my call. "Retreat to the Mt. Chimney Shrine!" I shouted, and we changed direction without issue.

"We've got Magma incoming!" Neji shouted, "Only a few grunts!"

I turned my head to Naruto and said, "Take care of them, and then send clones to each of the jonin and friendly sanin with our plans."

He saluted and slowed down. Temari swooped over to us and landed, instantly matching our pace. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Take Lee and Wally up to the Shrine. Wally can camouflage you and he knows the way," I took a breath, "Wait for us there. Go!"

She unfurled her fan again, and Lee and Wally joined her. They took off and went invisible in an instant. "May!" I called, "Go ahead of us, and mark the boulders for a safe passage through Jagged Pass!"

She dropped her weights and disappeared from view with pure speed. When we got to the base of the mountain, I stopped, "Only use the marked boulders on the way up. The rest are likely to give way if you touch them. We do not want an avalanche on our hands. Go!"

I summoned Jiton, leapt onto his head, and floated above my team as they scaled the pass. At the top, I stuck my sword into the rock and shouted, "Meet up here!"

Wally, Temari and Lee became visible, and the others filed around me. "We can handle Magma Grunts any day, but if Maxie is here, then good money says Tabitha and Courtney are too. Maxie has mega-evolution capabilities, only Steven-sensei can take him, and if he's here then it means that Steven-sensei is down. If you see an Admin, you use everything you have to take them down as fast as you can. We'll only get one shot at them so we got to make it count."

"How should we arrange ourselves?" Lee asked.

The shrine was just in front of the pool of lava in the summit, and surrounded on either side by outcroppings of rock. "Let's make this place a meat grinder," I said, "I want Neji in the center, doing his rotation," I looked at him, "May and I will have our Pokémon make it bigger than you can do it on your own. We'll send any fodder at you in bursts."

I pointed to the outcroppings. "I want Wally, Tenten, and Temari up on whichever side you want. Stay hidden, be smart, wreak havoc on any combination techniques you see."

Gaara's gourd caught my eye, and I asked, "You have enough sand to share?"

He shook his head, "But I can make more."

"Do that," I said, "Kankuro, watch his ass."

That left me with Lee and May. I stuck my hand out to them, palm down, "We're the big guns. You hurt as many grunts as you can, and I'll be on the lookout for Admins. If I see one I'll let you know, and you drop everything, clear?"

Everyone was quiet, so I pulled my sword out of the rock with my right hand, and swiped my left arm out through the air. " Scatter."

I looked back to the meteorite, still in Lee's arms, and said, "Put that thing in the shrine. Make sure nobody comes near it."

Neji's voice was quiet, but it cracked just a bit, "Ten incoming. Two waiting at the bottom of the mountain in custom uniforms."

"Glasses?" I asked.

Neji shook his head. I took a deep breath, "Be on alert for Tabitha Akamichi, Choji's uncle, and Courtney, a genjutsu user. No sign of Maxie."

I summoned Raiton, and May summoned Sparky. "Direct them towards Neji!" I shouted.

The first three Magma grunts came over the edge of cliff, and ran straight at us. "Helping Hand!" May and I shouted as we retreated behind Neji.

When I felt we were out of his range, I shouted, "Rotation!"

Neji's rotation usually maintained a diameter of his own reach, but this rotation was easily three times that, picking the grunts up, and throwing them back down whence they came. When he stopped he wobbled a bit and stared at the electric mice. "Those made me that much more powerful?!"

The next group of grunts was more careful. They tried to circle around us, but Temari rebuffed them too, sending them towards Neji for another rotation expulsion. It was a highly defensible location, and I felt confident in my choice. "Admins are on their way up," Neji warned.

"Game time!" I shouted, and summoned Katon, Suiton, and Mokuton.

I ran up to the edge of the cliff, and looked down. Courtney and Tabitha were picking their way up, and smiled at me when they saw me looking down. "It's the twerp!" Tabitha called.

"Muddy Water," I said to Suiton, and she obeyed.

Suiton conjured a wave of mud, gunk, and rocks, and clapped her hands together, sending the wave down Jagged pass, sweeping up all the rocks and stones, and throwing them at the Magma Admins.

Tabitha expanded his body, becoming so giant that he wasn't pushed back down the mountain, and Courtney leapt onto his shoulder. The giant Admin pawed Courtney, and threw her over my head. "Incoming!" I shouted, and backed away from the edge.

May leapt into the air and delivered the nastiest right hook I'd ever seen. Courtney began to fall, and through the pain, she summoned Camerupt. "Muddy Water!" I shouted, and Suiton obliged.

Suiton summoned a second wave, which parted for Neji, but slammed down onto Camerupt with a quick one-two tempo. Before it could recover two Trapinch jumped out of the ground, and dragged it down into a sand pit I hadn't seen.

Courtney landed porrly, her right knee buckling beneath her, and Lee was on top of her without a second thought, pummeling her into the sand. "One down," I said, and turned around just in time to see Tabitha's face crest the cliff.

"Blaze Kick Katon!" I shouted, and we both leapt up, and brought our right legs down in a fiery axe kick.

Tabitha's head, however, was like a rock, and the fire washed over him without much effect, so I changed tactics. I let Katon's bond go and grabbed onto Mokuton. "Leaf Blade!" I shouted.

I drew my sword, and it glowed with green energy. With all the speed we could muster, Mokuton and I ran criss-cross over Tabitha's body, me using my sword, and Mokuton using the leaves on his arms to cut as deeply as we could.

In response, Tabitha began to swat at us like flies, with about the same results, Mokuton and I remaining a few paces ahead of him, until we leapt off him back towards the shrine. As we landed Temari sent a cloud of Stun Spores into Tabitha's face.

The giant let out a scream of pain, and froze just in front of the cliff's edge. "Triple Pledge: Hyper Beam!"

Mokuton, Suiton, and Katon shot beams of green, blue, and red energy respectively, which intertwined to form a beam of pure white light. When the Hyper Beam collided with Tabitha's chest, it sent him back down Jagged pass on the mud slide Suiton's Muddy Water created for him earlier.

I was glowing with victory for a moment, until I heard sarcastic clapping behind me. I turned to see Maxie holding the meteorite in the entrance to the shrine. I dropped my sword and shouted, "Combo!"

"Helping Hand!" May exclaimed, and Raiton and Sparky cheered for me.

I went through the hand signs that came to my mind, ending on dragon, and unleashed a hyper beam of my own, expending the remainder of my chakra in the hopes that it would kill Maxie.

When the light faded, chakra exhaustion set in, and I fell to a knee. I looked up and saw a wall of lava before me. It oozed down onto the rock of the mountain, and Maxie stood behind it, a smug look on his face. "You've gotten better," he said, "but not nearly enough."

I couldn't move, so with each step Maxie took toward me a little bit of my stomach dropped out of me. Once he was about five feet away, he held up his hand and said, "I'll show you a real trainer's technique."

A ball of lava formed in his hand, and when he released it, it shot at me. I closed my eyes instinctively, but there was no pain. Something hot thudded to the ground to my left, but not nearly hot enough to really hurt me.

I peeked through one eye, and I couldn't see Maxie. May was standing in front of me, with a hole in her sternum. She grabbed onto Maxie, and panted, "Get him Brendan! Helping hand!"

Ration cheered for me, and I found my legs, grabbed my sword, and ran around Maxie. He craned his head over his shoulder just in time to see me shove my sword through his side and up into his chest cavity. "Boss Maxie!" Courtney cried.

May, Maxie, and I fell over, but once I was on the ground, I twisted the sword as hard as I could. "Die, fucker…" I gasped.

Courtney wrested Maxie from my grip and took off down the mountain, my sword still in his side. I pushed myself up to my knees, and looked at May. She grabbed my hand feebly, and I looked at her wound.

There was a half a foot wide hole through her stomach, and the lava had cauterized the flesh instantly as it traveled through her, leaving a red glow along her inside. There was no fixing that. "O-oh my god," I blubbered.

"It's okay," she gasped, "It's okay Brendan."

My eyes got hot, and I fought back the tears. "Why did you do that?" I croaked.

She smiled faintly, "You're… my best friend… dummy. Worth it."

Then something inside me just _broke_. I would have been okay with my best not being enough to save myself, but my best not being enough to save May was in no way acceptable. May's hand fell from mine to the dirt, and her eyes lost focus. Tears streamed down my face while Wally fell to his knees opposite me, and my pain filled the heavens with the screams of something not of this world.

Whatever the history books say… that's the moment Zabuza's demon had its second coming, finding a home deep in my heart where May had been.

AN: haha, betcha didn't see that coming.


	29. Chapter 29

Ch 29

I don't remember a lot about the return trip from Lavaridge. It was cloudy, and quiet. Or maybe I was quiet. I was so lightheaded, and I hadn't quite accepted that May was dead. There was a voice in my head prompting me to turn around, because if I did, surely she would be there, laughing, but when I did, nobody was there.

When we got home, I pulled out Zabuza's scroll and spent the next three days painstakingly copying the seal therein onto my back with the help of Jiton's claws. I transferred the sword from the scroll to my back, and left my room. Kakashi-sensei, Steven-sensei, and Wally were downstairs, but I ghosted them. I went directly to the training ground, and started doing my sword training with the Executioner's blade until I was so tired I could no longer move.

It began to rain, and I fell asleep in on the forest floor. The next morning I woke up to the sight of Tsunade, the new hokage based on her hat, healing me. I pushed her away and stood up. "What is it?" I demanded.

Wally stepped out from behind her, "It's May's funeral Brendan. We need to go."

He pushed my chin so I looked to the right, where my parents and May's parents stood waiting. My mother handed me the traditional black funerary yukata, so I sealed my blade away and pulled the mourning clothes on right there. I was guided to the hokage building, and to the roof. A large crowd, mostly jonin, but all of the Hidden Leaf's Rookie 9, Team Guy and the sand siblings were in attendance. People spoke. I didn't listen.

Tsunade eventually approached me and asked, "Do you have anything you'd like to say, Brendan?"

I stood up and walked passed her to the podium in front of her picture. The picture was the same one she had on her trainer card, a full body picture and a giant smile on her face. I faced the crowd, and said, "May's last words were about how it was totally worth it to give her life for mine. So as much as it hurts, I can't cry, or be sad, because she wasn't sad. The fact is, with her passing, her dreams went with her. May wanted to go out into the world, make new friends, see beautiful sights, and meet every kind of Pokémon there is. So, I'll do that for her. I owe her so much more, but that'll be a start.

"That, ultimately, doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye," I continued, "I can't help but feel that this is… my fault. If I hadn't tried to get away from the battle with the sanin, maybe the jonin would have been able to help. I put everything I had into a frontal assault on an enemy that outclassed me to the extreme, leaving me open and helpless. If I'd stuck to the shadows, maybe I could have gotten to him while he monologued. I won't ever get the answers to those question, but I do know this: I promise Professor and Mrs. Birch that I'll _never_ be so weak as I was."

I summoned the Executioner's blade, and stuck it into the concrete to the right of my feet. "This is the Executioner's Blade. It is a weapon made for the slaughter of one's enemies, and I haven't used it because it turned the man who gave it to me into a monster. Zabuza was a man who fought only for his own ambitions, and sacrificed everything in the attempt to make them real. Only now, too late, do I realize that all I want are the same things that May wanted. How can I be so stingy with my _soul_ or my _morality_ when May was willing to give up _everything_ for me? So I swear that I will do anything and everything required to protect my friends, even if it means becoming a demon."

I pulled the sword up, and returned it to its new seal, before muttering, "And Mega-Evolution is next on my list."

Wally spoke next. He stammered, and he fought back tears, but the message was the same. He sat down next to me afterwards, and we stared down at the floor together. When the service ended, he whispered, "Steven-sensei is going to continue my remodeling, and after that, Kakashi-sensei is putting me on the fast track for ANBU training."

I looked to him, and saw a darkness in his eyes that I'd come to terms with in my own. "When we're killing Team Magma in droves, Maxie will think back to May, and his last thoughts will be of regret," Wally asserted.

I nodded, "That's a damn good plan."

The service had ended, but people were milling about, sharing memories, or mourning the passing of our friend. Steven-sensei was locked in a terse discussion with my father and Tsunade. "Tsunade seems the type that has her head on straight," Wally said, "She'll be a good hokage."

"Then let's join the conversation," I grunted.

We locked step towards the quiet discussion, and inserted ourselves into the circular formation. "I told you this would happen again," Steven-sensei said, pinching his nose, "They need this training."

"It's too dangerous, even for a chunin, let alone a genin like Wally," Norman insisted, "I forbid it."

"Steven is their sensei Norman, if he says they're ready, they are," Tsunade countered, "besides, none of the other ninja in this village are anywhere near ready for this kind of training. We need ninja who can Mega-Evolve their Pokémon."

"Team Magma and Team Aqua are in tatters!" Norman shouted, "If they do come back, it'll be _years_ from now. By then my students will be ready for Mega-Evolution. We do not need to throw these gifted trainers into the fire!"

"You're being impartial because your son is involved," Steven-sensei accused, "but the fact of the matter is that Brendan is ready for Evolution and then Mega-Evolution training. You don't have enough faith in him!"

I swelled with pride at his compliment, but then my father said, "He's brash! We all heard what he said up there! He's not mature enough for this power!"

"Who the fuck are you to talk about me like that?!" I demanded, "I'm right here! If you have something else to say, say it to me first!"

Norman glared at me, "This is an adult conversation. I don't mind you listening, but I forbid you from participating."

I stepped up to his face, "On what grounds?"

"I am your superior, and your father," he spat, "even if you don't see it, this is what's best for you."

"Fathers are there for their children," I whispered, "and you've never been there for me. You were either continents away, doing who knows what while Mom raised me, or you've gotten in my way here. Either way, let me be clear: you don't get a say anymore. Wally and I will not get killed because you don't think we're ready."

Stunned silence fell for a moment, then Steven-sensei said, "I respected your wishes because you are his father last time we had this talk, but I'm Champion Norman. It's my call. I say he's ready."

"We're talking about a forbidden technique!" he exclaimed, "A technique that links Pokémon and trainer so entirely that if one dies, so does the other! I don't think you need it to be a strong Pokémon trainer or a strong ninja!"

Tsunade stepped between them. "It's my call. Norman, look into these boys' eyes. They're going to get this training, but whether or not they get it here, or look _elsewhere_ for it is entirely on us right now. They start their Evolution training tomorrow. After that, we'll enroll them in jonin selection missions starting next month."

Norman's nostrils flared, and he shouted, "I'm going to the village elders. You're not the only one here with pull Tsunade."

He stormed off, and Tsunade stormed off in the opposite direction, muttering about the pain she would leave my father in if he followed through on his threat, leaving Wally and I with our Sensei. He grabbed us each by the shoulder and said, "What happened the other day was not due to any fault on either of your parts. I'm your sensei, and the weight of May's death falls on my shoulders. I won't ever let something like that happen again."

He disappeared too, leaving us in the middle of a ring of funeral attendees that had been watching the entire confrontation go down. I pushed my way through them, and leapt down off the building, and used the fence around the hokage building to jump to the nearest rooftop.

I put the funeral out of my mind, and left the hokage building in my dust, heading back to the training grounds. Before I could summon the blade again, I heard someone land on a branch behind me. "Who is it?" I asked, and turned around.

Temari leapt down from the branch above, and walked around me in a circle. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm angry," I hissed, "and I'm worried it's going to eat me up."

She stepped into my personal space, and said, "Anger is the correct emotion. Crying would be unmanly."

I wanted to snap at her, but she hadn't done anything wrong, so I bit my tongue, and waited for her to get to whatever point she wanted to make. "When Gaara was born, it killed my mother," she said, "I hated Gaara for a long time for that. I learned in school that sometimes mothers die in childbirth, but by then Gaara was a monster in his own right, and I hated him for that. Now… he's different. I'm not as angry about the loss of my mother, do you know why?"

I shook my head, and sudden tears threatened to overwhelm me.

"It turns out that after Naruto hit Gaara hard enough on the head, he's pretty great," she said with a smile, "From the tragedy of my mother's death, and through the horrors of Gaara's first thirteen years has come this great person. A great light from all that darkness. And I know that it's tough to see it right now, but there will come light out of this too."

I wiped the tears from my eyes, and asked, "Oh yeah? Where?"

"You're a genius, Brendan," she began, "and you've been working pretty hard up until now, but after this… you'll be unstoppable. This is going to fuel you from here on out, and you are going to save so many lives, make so many friends, and make the world better. People may call you a demon, or whatever it is that they do, but I don't buy it. You're a good person Brendan, and well, May thought you were worth saving, right?"

My chest was heaving in the effort to contain the raw emotion that was running rampant through my veins, and Temari held me close. "I'll allow you to cry this one time," she said, "because you're still human and humans cry. Besides, May would be pissed if you threw out the best parts of you after she gave up everything to save them."

And I did exactly that.

AN: We're approaching the end of Part 1.


	30. Chapter 30

Ch 30

Wally and I were attending to the berry grove the next morning when Steven-sensei found us, Wattson and the Trick Master in tow. "Not holding any grudges, I hope, Brendan?" the Trick Master asked.

I turned to Wally and said, "I have total confidence in you."

Wattson guided Wally away, and Steven-sensei gave me a pointed look before going back down the stairs to the village proper, so I followed. We took off over the buildings, before eventually arriving in training ground three. Waiting there for us was the woman who'd been with Tsunade in the baths back in Lavaridge. She bowed as we approached, and she said, "Hello, I'm Shizune, the hokage's assistant. I'm here to help you train today Brendan."

I looked from Steven-sensei and then back to her. "You use Pokémon?" I asked.

Her smile got wider, "I specialize in normal type Pokémon. I have a thing for Blisseys. Ever heard of them?"

"Blissey, the Happines Pokémon. It is kindhearted, and loves helping people," I recited, "It is said that anybody who takes a bite of a Blissey egg will become easygoing and caring to those around them."

"Exactly so!" Shizune said, "They're also built like tanks, take very little damage, and dole out very little in return. They can even heal themselves and other Pokémon, which makes them ideal for training other Pokémon."

She summoned a Blissey, and smiled from ear to ear, "So, summon your Pokémon and we'll get started."

I summoned Katon, Suiton, and Mokuton. "Muddy Water!" I shouted.

Suiton slammed her signature move into Blissey, washing over it with little trouble, but before the mud dissipated, I shouted, "Grand Fireball Barrage at the mud!"

Katon shot three giant fireballs at the mud, drying it, and trapping Blissey in three feet of mud. I summoned the Executioner's blade, and borrowed Mokuton's Leaf Blade. We dashed at the enemy Pokémon with blinding speed, slashing at its sides, and I ended out combo with a full strength slash at the enemy Pokémon's side.

Blissey's flesh bent around the blade like rubber, but did not break. It smiled at me with a sinister look in its eyes, and giggled. The enemy Pokémon's flesh rebounded back into place, sending my blade backwards with such force that I lost my grip, and it flipped through the air before burying itself in a tree behind me. "Whoa," I whispered.

Blissey giggled again, and handed me an egg from its pouch. "Is… this supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.

"No," Shizune answered, and the egg exploded, sending me flipping backwards through the air above the stream, where I lost my momentum, and fell back down to earth for the most painful back flop of my life.

All of the air in my lungs was pushed out of me, and pain lanced all up and down my limbs and over my spine. I struggled up to the surface, and stood up there, coughing out water for a solid thirty seconds, and when I looked up, nobody had moved. Shizune waved cheerfully and shouted, "Don't worry, this is just training, we'll wait until you're good!"

"Attack Pledge," I hacked, and Katon and Mokuton teamed up to fill the training ground with patches of fire.

"Support Pledge!" I shouted while finding my feet.

Suiton and Katon shot blue and red energy into the air, which created a rainbow, the light of which strengthened fire, water, and grass moves. "And Defense Pledge!" I bellowed.

Mokuton shot green energy all around Blissey, and Suiton followed it with blue, creating thick roots and vines which restricted Blissey's movement. I pointed at it and said, "Kick the shit out of it Katon."

Katon was so fast that I couldn't actually see him, but I did see the marks in Blissey's pink flesh that was left behind after each of Katon's blows. It kind of looked like Blissey was a pink ocean suffering from a storm, with pseudo waves rippling from side to side over its surface. Katon reappeared after kicking Blissey in the face, but when its face bounced back, Katon got sent flying, to Blissey's giggling amusement.

Mokuton disappeared from view for a moment, and then reappeared next to me, offering me the executioner's blade, never taking his eyes off Blissey. "I'll hit it high, you hit it low," I whispered, and Mokuton nodded.

We dashed in for another leaf blade combo, but this time, to finish it, I slashed at Blissey's top from the right, and Mokuton slashed at Blissey's feet from the left, the opposing forces managing to knock Blissey onto its side.

While it was squirming to deal with its girth, I kicked it, sending it rolling into a patch of fire. Blissey struggled to upright itself, but eventually stopped moving. My entire back was bruised, my chakra reserves were taken down to about half their usual level, and Shizune recalled her Blissey. "Go team," I gasped, panting.

"Indeed," Shizune said, her smile still unnervingly wide, and then summoned a second Blissey.

I was more conservative in the second battle, because it occurred to me that I had no idea how many Blissey's Shizune had. She had six Blisseys. Over the course of that morning, I knocked out three. As the third one went down, I collapsed from a lack of chakra.

When I awoke, Steven-sensei, Shizune, and Tsunade were standing over me. "This is quite the training regime, Steven," Tsunade noted, "to think this chunin took out _three_ Blisseys."

"Did I get the record?" I asked.

All three of them looked down at me, and Shizune burst out laughing. "No. No you didn't. I've got six, and Norman can knock out all of them in under an hour."

My head fell back to my pillow and I growled, "I'll show him up… next time."

Shizune patted my head and said, "I'm sure sweetie."

The three of them left, but just before Tsunade shut the door, she turned around and said, "Oh, and your friend Sasuke is up again. Finally got him out of that coma."

"Sasuke was in a coma?!" I exclaimed, and jumped out of bed, making my muscles scream in pain, filling me with instant regret.

Tsunade gave me a thumbs up, "He's three floors up, when you get the chance, but take it easy, or I'll put you back in that bed… the hard way."

As she left, Team Asuma came in. Ino ran at me, and pushed me back into my bed, Choji swaddled me in my blankets like a cocoon, and Shikamaru placed a tray of food on a stand over my lap. "Ino-Shika-Cho formation success!" Ino shouted.

I looked at the food placed over me, and then at my blankets, which I struggled against for a moment, to no avail. I was too tired. "Guys, if you tuck me in like this… I can't eat the food."

"I'll take it!" Choji declared, and began scarfing it down.

My stomach growled, and I smiled, "Who wants gross hospital food anyway?"

"We heard you were training so hard you ended up in the hospital!" Ino accused, "And the rumors were true!?"

"You're supposed to be smarter than that," Shikamaru sighed.

"It was just chakra exhaustion. An ice bath, hot bath, and some soldier pills and I'll be good as new," I insisted, "I need to check on Sasuke. Apparently he was in a coma?"

A girl I didn't know walked in with a wheel chair. Her voice was melodious, and soothing, "I can help with that. He gets to rest, and see his friend, right?"

She had short, black hair, wore tan short shorts, a tight black blouse with a dragon insignia, and had a tattered brown cape that fell behind her. "Do I know you?" I asked.

She flipped her hair out of her eyes, revealing triple-tomoe Sharingan, "By reputation. The name is Zinnia. Zinnia Uchiha."

My jaw dropped, along with everyone else in the room. "I… I thought Sasuke was the last," Shikamaru muttered.

"She was out of the village when Itachi went crazy," I said, "but she and May were apparently very close."

Zinnia looked down, and her hair concealed her eyes again, but I saw her fists clench so hard they turned white. "I was there. Undercover in Team Magma. You actually blew me off into the air… and I watched Maxie… I needed to talk to you."

"May was our friend too," Choji said carefully, "but she never told us about you."

"She wasn't friends with any of us like she was with Zinnia," I whispered, "How about you guys untuck me and let us talk?"

When Team Asuma shut the door I got off the bed, and fell to my knees. "I'm so sorry," I said, "I… I-"

Zinnia got onto her knees across from me and hugged me. "It was her choice," her voice shook, but then she got it under control, "that's not why I'm here. Maxie took the girl I loved from me and I want to take everything from him. I think together we can do that."

Our eyes locked and I nodded, "Yes. That's exactly what I want."

She moved one of her legs up so I could see the intricate anklet she had on. It glowed with several shining green stones. "These are some keystones I've collected. You need them to perform Mega-Evolution. When you're ready," she pulled a scroll out of a pouch in her cape, and handed it to me, "release the crow in this scroll, and it'll guide me back to you."

"I already have a teacher," I said, looking at the scroll.

"I have a guy close to the village council," she explained, "Norman blocked Mega Evolution training to anybody but jonin with five years of experience."

I stuck the scroll into my pack, and I nodded, "Okay. You and I will train for Mega-Evolution after I've finished my Evolution training."

She smiled, "Great. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Let's go see Itachi's baby brother, then, shall we?"

She wheeled me to the stairwell, and held my chair aloft as she ascended. I wobbled dangerously with every step, and I gasped, "You know, I could just walk!"

"Where would the fun be in that?" she giggled, and held me up higher.

By the time that we had ascended three flights of stairs I was sweating profusely and emotionally exhausted. "Oh, it's a lot easier, now that you've gone limp," Zinnia remarked.

"Put. Me. Down." I pleaded, and she set the chair back on the ground.

When we reached Sasuke's room, there were cut up pieces of apple all over the room, and Sasuke and Naruto were glaring daggers at each other. "What did you do that for?!" Naruto demanded, "Sakura took the time to cut that for you!"

"Domestic dispute?" I asked.

Sasuke turned to face me, his features twisted with anger. "Whoa… we come in peace." I said and held up my hands in mock surrender.

Zinnia stepped around me, and eyed Sasuke. "So… you're Sasuke. Do you remember me?"

Sasuke snorted, and turned back to Naruto. "I want to fight you. You said you wanted to fight me too, right? Let's fight!"

"Shisui said you were hot-headed, but this is ridiculous…" Zinnia remarked.

Sasuke's attention shifted back to us, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. "What do you know about Shisui?"

Zinnia activated her sharingan, "I'm his little sister. The name's Zinnia. It's been a while Sasuke."

He narrowed his eyes, activated his sharingan, and his jaw dropped, "Z-Zinnia? Really?"

Zinnia beamed, "In the flesh brother."

"Where the hell have you been!?" he shouted, "You appear now? Why?"

"Itachi didn't tell you?" she asked, confused, "My brother sent me across the sea to train in Kalos and track any problems that would come over the sea. When I saw that Team Magma and Team Aqua were over here I came back. Even infiltrated Team Magma. Couldn't stick with it after… after May, but I'm here to update the new Hokage on my mission."

Sasuke's face fell. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Zinnia asked.

"Itachi wiped out our entire clan. Six years ago he…" Sasuke paused, "everyone's gone. It's just you, me and him."

Zinnia looked like he slapped her. Then she whispered, "So that's how it is… I've, uh, I've got to go."

"Awkward…" I whispered as Zinnia took off, and then I turned back to a horrified Naruto and Sakura. "She was kind of my ride… either of you feel like helping a brother out?"

They ignored my joke. "Are you okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, "That got kinda heavy."

When Sasuke turned back to Naruto, his anger had returned, "What would you know!? Don't pretend to understand us! Fight me, Naruto!"

"We're in a hospital," I noted, "That's frowned upon here."

"Don't butt into this Brendan!" Naruto snapped, "If he wants me to kick his ass that badly, I'll do it, name the place!"

Sasuke leapt out of bed, stepped on apple bits, and started walking out of the room, "Follow me," he spat, and left the room.

Naruto followed close behind, and Sakura chased after them, "Wait! What's going on?!"

I sighed, and stood up out of my wheel chair. "Don't mind me, just not supposed to be walking right now," I muttered, and followed at a snail's pace.

I saw Sakura go up the stairs down the hallway, so I went that way, and followed them up. When I got to the roof, Naruto and Sasuke were already into it. Sasuke had blocked one of Naruto's punches, grabbed him, and sent him flying into the air.

Naruto flipped backwards, landing on a nearby water tank, and summoned Kage. Sasuke summoned Smasher, and leapt up to face his teammate head on. Kage used force palm on Smasher, instantly rendering the enemy Pokémon unconscious.

Sasuke kicked Kage over the edge of the building, spun, and delivered a roundhouse that Naruto was only just able to block. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's leg, spun him in a circle and threw him down to the roof, through several lines of drying hospital sheets.

Before Sasuke could pursue him further, a fire incinerated the sheets all around Naruto, revealing him and Kasai, his Vulpix. Sasuke brought out Avenger's pokescroll just in time for Kage to return to the roof, and deliver a critical force palm to his back.

Sasuke righted himself in the air, and a chidori attack formed over his right hand. In response, Naruto created a Rasengan. Sasuke landed on the fence that lined the roof of the hospital, and dashed towards Naruto even as Naruto dashed at him. "Stop it!" Sakura screeched, and ran between them, but at the speed they were going, they couldn't stop.

I looped one of my arms through Sakura's and held her back. Before the two attacks could collide, Kage gathered his chakra into a ball like Naruto's but threw it at Sasuke, knocking him off course, so the two didn't collide.

Sasuke's chidori pierced the cement of the hospital roof, burying his entire arm, and Naruto ran into the fence Sasuke had jumped from, obliterating where the Rasengan touched, and sending the rest of the entire length of fence into the street below. "You're welcome," I whispered to Sakura, taking a look over the edge of the roof.

Naruto high-fived with Kage, nuzzled Kasai, and shouted, "Nice thinking with the Aura Sphere. Let's try that combo we've been working on."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he struggled to pull his arm out of the concrete, with limited success. Naruto and Kage held out a hand/paw to each other, and combined Rasengan and Aura Sphere. Kage took control of the Aura Rasengan, and Kasai shot a fireball towards Sasuke. Moments after, before the fireball could connect, Kage shot off the Aura Rasengan which caught up to the fireball, resulting in a slow moving, swirling ball of flame.

Somebody moving so fast I could barely see even their silhouette grabbed Sasuke and removed him before Naruto's attack could get him. The flaming aura Rasengan reached the hospital roof, and exploded. The part of the roof I was standing on buckled, and gave way, sending Sakura and I into the room below, with rocks all around us.

The same shadow that had removed Sasuke grabbed us, and used the very same rocks that would have fallen on top of us to make its way up, dropping us off on top of the water tank. I looked over when we'd stopped moving, to see none other than Kakashi-sensei. "Things just aren't going your way today Brendan…" he mused, and set us down.

"Tell me about it," I sighed.

Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto, grabbed him by the ear and shouted, "I'll take this one. You grab the other one, kay?"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Naruto cried.

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke, and said, "Don't either of you worry, we'll get these two back to normal in no time."

With that, Naruto, his Pokémon, and Jiraiya went off one direction, and Kakashi-sensei took Sasuke the other. Sakura looked to me, and asked, "What just happened? When did they get like that?"

I gave her a look. " _You're_ their teammate. How should I know? And in case you haven't noticed," I gestured to the general shape of my body, "I've been a bit busy lately."

Just then, Zinnia bounded up the outside of the hospital, two giant scrolls in hand. "What happened here?" she asked.

"Sasuke and Naruto are getting all pissy at each other over something, but now they know dangerous jutsu, so it's not just cute anymore…" I responded.

Zinnia looked around, saw the fire, and whistled, "Sasuke's gotten stronger."

I laughed, "Nah. That was Naruto."

"The loudmouth?" Zinnia asked, eyes wide.

"The Jinchuriki," I explained.

Zinnia tilted her head in acknowledgement, "That would explain a lot, wouldn't it?"

AN: Part one is almost over. Excited about Part 2?


	31. Chapter 31

Ch 31

After Naruto and Sasuke's brawl, Zinnia and I went our separate ways, per our agreement. The next day I went into training with a simple goal: beat all of Shizune's Blisseys. All the flashy moves I knew went away, and I got as ruthless as I could, using pledge attacks to make any move me or my Pokémon made a critical hit, and when I fainted again this time around dinner, I'd only taken out five Blisseys. The next day went much the same, only it took me the entire morning instead of the entire day. In the hospital though, I heard rumors that Sasuke had fled the village, seeking out Orochimaru.

It wasn't my problem. You can't protect people from themselves, and while he was my friend, if he actually chose to run into the arms of that mad man, then he deserved all the pain and suffering that would result from it. I didn't know much about the Uchiha yet, but I already knew I didn't want to get dragged into their shit. Besides, Naruto went after him, and Naruto had proven, at least to me, that he was stronger than Sasuke.

On the fourth day of my training, all the patience I'd been exercising on days two and three went out the window, however. I summoned my Pokémon, and Shizune summoned the first of her Blissey Brigade, and the pink blob giggled at us in greeting which just set something off in my brain. I came to the conclusion that despite Blissey's cuteness, and inherent happy nature, it was trolling the shit out of me. That giggle wasn't polite greeting, or an expression of its disposition. It was the sound of another creature finding great joy in causing me suffering.

Well, it was that, or I was high on soldier pills and exhausted the point of hallucination. Either Blissey was evil, or I was delusional. I'll let the reader decide. It ultimately doesn't matter. What does matter is that my emotions reached a fever pitch, and my Pokémon matched it. Our chakra synced, leaving me, Mokuton, Katon, and Suiton frothing at the mouth.

I remember pointing at Blissey and shouting something to the effect of "That's it! KILL IT!"

I ran at it at full speed, and punched it right in the face without fully extending my arm. The blow put a dent in Blissey, and as the dent began to right itself, I extended my arm, sending Blissey through the air instead of me.

When Blissey reached the apex of its flight Katon flickered into vision below it. Katon sent Blissey straight up into the air with a Blaze Kick, where Mokuton was waiting. Mokuton used Leaf Blade, slashing with both arms, sending Blissey down into a sand dune.

Suiton slammed her hands together into an interlocked fist, covering Blissey in sand, and then brought her interlocked fist down to the ground, compressing Blissey with incredible pressure into the ground below. "Get back up from that!" I challenged, almost shrieking, "I DARE YOU!"

Steven-sensei whistled, and Shizune grunted approval. "Well done," she declared, "Let's step up the difficulty then, shall we?"

She summoned three Blisseys, her smile returning. "BRING IT!" I shouted in my complete mania, and rushed at the middle of the three enemy Pokémon.

Three quick punches sent my target airborne, where Katon was waiting again, but this time, the other two Blisseys threw egg bombs into the mix. Katon latched onto the middle Blissey and clung to its back as the eggs exploded, effectively shielding itself from the brunt of the damage.

I reached for the sand, and ensnared the two enemies in on either side of me. Suiton crashed the rest of her sand on top of the Blisseys' heads, and compressed them like she had the first.

These Blisseys were in better health, however, and as such, expanded back to their original shapes, sending sand every which way. The setback caused me to actually roar with fury, like an animal. Suiton, Mokuton, and Katon, as he returned, added their voices to mine. They were enveloped with white light and evolved into Swampert, Sceptile, and Blaziken respectively.

We didn't wait around to take the changes in, however, we went straight back to wailing on the Blissey Brigade. But in their new forms the enemy Pokémon didn't stand a chance. Katon used Blaze Kick on the Blissey to my right, and the fire spread over his target, past me, and consumed the second one.

Mokuton flickered out of sight, and reappeared with the third Blissey under its arm like a pink barrel. Shizune clapped politely. "Well done. Let's heal you up."

She recalled her four fainted Blissey and summoned the two conscious ones. They skipped over to us, and offered us each an egg. I looked from the egg, to Blissey, and back, before telling Blissey exactly where it could put that egg. It might have involved Shizune and her unmentionables.

In retaliation the two Pokémon, using blinding speed, shoved an egg into each of our mouths, took our legs out with a sweep, and held our mouths shut with their girth. With just my nose out from under Blissey, I had no choice but to chew and swallow the egg if I wanted to breathe.

The result was instantaneous. All my wounds faded, and my body flooded with fresh chakra. When Blissey let me up I hugged it because I was a very different kind of high. Gone was the paranoia, and in its place was a steady glow and affection for the world around me. The lesson is: don't do drugs. Soldier pills can be a necessary evil, but there's a reason Blissey eggs ruin lives kids. That shit is _good_.

Anyway, training was over for the day. There would be no more violence from me for a while, so Steven-sensei and Shizune took off without me, leaving me and my Pokémon splayed out on the forest floor.

As the high began to fade, I was approached by Zinnia and an ANBU. "Can I help you?" I asked, "Little bit _whewt_ right now, if you know what I mean."

"What does he mean?" the ANBU asked.

"Force fed a Blissey Egg," I explained.

"Oh!" Zinnia exclaimed, "He's high as balls right now."

I giggled, "You said _balls_!"

Zinnia smiled, and reached for into her back pockets, pulling out a pouch of grey powder. She dropped a pinch of the powder with a small tin cup offered by the ANBU. Zinnia scooped up some water from the stream, and stirred the concoction. The ANBU pushed my head back so my jaw opened, and Zinnia poured the cup's contents down my throat.

It was so bitter my eyes watered and I writhed on the ground for a moment, but when the sensation faded, I was back on earth. "What was that?" I demanded.

"Heal powder," Zinnia said and patted me on the back, "It's a bit bitter, but it'll take care of almost any malady, even Egg Bliss."

I spat the flavor out of my mouth and grunted, "Kay… how can I help you?"

"We need you to retrieve Sasuke," Zinnia said, "It's important."

"That guy ran off to Orochimaru," I retorted, deadpan, "Why do you care about somebody who's _that_ lost?"

The ANBU looked down, and sighed, "It's my fault he's the way he is, and… he's my brother."

Itachi Uchiha removed his mask, and stared down at me. "I was on a dark path, because I thought it was the only path I could walk if my brother could have a chance at happiness… but Zinnia showed me how wrong I was."

"Look into my eyes," Zinnia said, and I did.

My surroundings melted away, revealing a dark room, lit by torches, and crowded with people in clothing bearing the Uchiha crest. A genjutsu, and one created by a sharingan at that, so there wasn't much point in fighting it. Zinnia nudged me from the right, and whispered, "Our clan has… an affliction. Our eyes can only reach the pinnacle of power by great loss. When the most precious person in the world to an Uchiha dies, that same Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan awakens. That loss, coupled with the metamorphosis in our eyes causes us to go a teensy bit crazy."

Itachi moved to my left, and added, "It's called the curse of hatred. Few of our number have ever been able to avoid the curse. Those that do, do so because they are devoted to something bigger than themselves…"

"Not important!" Zinnia chided, "What is important is that because of this curse the Uchiha weren't trusted with the position of Hokage, and after a long history of well-earned oppression, the Uchiha decided to enact a coup d'état."

My surrounding melted away again, revealing a cliff by a river, with a forest encroaching on the rock of the cliff. On this cliff stood Itachi in ANBU gear minus the cloak, and another Uchiha, also in ANBU gear. "This other guy is my older brother: Shisui, he and Itachi were best friends. The third hokage asked Shisui and Itachi to try to prevent the coup. They were insiders, and my brother was particularly well suited to the task. He had already awoken his Mangekyou Sharingan."

Shisui looked at me, and his eye changed into a pinwheel pattern. Itachi cleared his throat. "Shisui's eyes could create genjutsu which could control his target's mind with such subtlety that the target wouldn't even realize they were under a genjutsu. We were going to use this genjutsu to revamp the entire Uchiha clan's culture. Make them like us, so the village was most important to them."

A man who covered his forehead and right eye in bandages, with his robes acting like a brace for his right arm, and a cane walked out into the clearing. "That's Danzo," Zinnia spat, "an evil cynic who didn't believe in Shisui's plan. He stole Shisui's right eye, and ruined the plan."

As Danzo walked away, Shisui gave his other eye to Itachi, and committed suicide by leaping to his death. "That's how I gained my Mangekyou sharingan," Itachi said, "and Danzo pushed me into a corner. With Shisui gone, the person I cared about most was my little brother Sasuke Danzo used Shisui's eye to convince me that if I killed everyone in my clan but Sasuke, he could rebuild the clan into something great. Until now, I've been playing the villain for him."

Zinnia wiped away the scene, and showed me herself on Mt. Chimney, watching Maxie kill May. "My new eyes can see Shisui's genjutsu, and I broke its hold over Itachi," she whispered, releasing the genjutsu, "We talked for a long time about how we should move forward."

"I set Sasuke on a dark path like my own," Itachi sighed, "maybe darker. I want to rectify that. However, Sasuke left the village, pursuing power. While we handle Danzo, we want you to retrieve Sasuke. The old clan's reputation doesn't matter anymore. We're letting all of that go, in order to make a new Uchiha clan. One that isn't bound by its dark curse anymore."

"That's a great goal," I said, nodding my head, "but I'm not sure you can get through to Sasuke that easily. I don't know what you did to him, Itachi, but he's taken a turn for the worse. It's gonna take more than a little talk to set all this right."

They were quiet, so I continued, "Not mention the fact that I don't know why I should trust either of you. You just talked about how loss makes you crazy. Zinnia, you told me you wanted to destroy Team Magma for what it did to May. What's with the change of heart?"

Zinnia sat down next to me, and hugged her knees. "Shisui was in charge of my mission, given to me by the third hokage too. The day I got his last communication, written in ink but covered in blood, telling me about how badly his own mission had gone… that's the day my Mangekyou awakened. Losing May… really, really hurts. I loved her. But I want to destroy Team Magma _and_ Team Aqua for the same reasons you do: they're dangerous and they'll destroy the world if we let them get their way."

"She is like Shisui, and like me," Itachi confirmed, "The village, the idea of it, is what's most important to her. Sasuke should be like that, if he's to be the beginning of a better Uchiha, but because of Danzo's meddling and my mistakes he's not. You said Sasuke's your friend. Please help him."

"Didn't they send Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Naruto after him?" I asked, "They're the best team right now."

"Kakashi is out on an important mission," Itachi shook his head, "He doesn't even know about Sasuke's attempted defection. Sakura is- an emotional wreck and a poor match for Hidden Sound Ninja."

Zinnia held up five fingers, "Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, and Chouji make up the Sasuke Retrieval Team. Even if there were others we could ask, we wouldn't. May called you her best friend and I know that wouldn't come without a good person buried under your sarcasm and daddy issues."

I narrowed my eyes and growled, "Don't bring him into this."

That was a lot of information to process, but it changed the game. Sasuke was now not only worth saving, but deserved saving. It was time for the tragedy of the Uchiha to end. "Let's go," I said.

Itachi sighed with relief. "Then one more thing…" he said, and captured me in a second genjutsu.

For about five minutes straight, with no talking, Itachi repeated the same handsigns, Snake, Horse, Bird, Rat, Dog, Rabbit, Ram, Boar, and Snake in that order. "This is a sleeper agent jutsu. One of the perks of being undercover in the Akatsuki. I took this from Sasori, one of my colleagues. Zinnia says you'll need it to enact your plans for Team Aqua and Team Magma. You may find other uses for it. Use these signs, and touch your target's forehead with two fingers. It resets their brain, you tell them their new history, and then command them to infiltrate a given organization."

For about an hour, he had me practice on a featureless man until I was able to pull off the jutsu. Then Itachi released the genjutsu, and when I opened my eyes, he was gone. "Let's go," Zinnia insisted.

We ran back to the village and up to the Hokage building. Tsunade was behind a pile of paperwork, and didn't look up to acknowledge us, but rather grunted. "Zinnia Uchiha, officially reporting in after my mission," Zinnia said cheerfully, "We've got a lot to catch up on."

Tsunade dropped her pen, and stared at her, slack jaw. Zinnia breathed in, miming pushing air into her nose. "This place has got that new hokage smell. Old man Sarutobi had that dusty old man scent, y'know?"

Zinnia approached the hokage's desk, and set down ten scrolls. "These are my mission updates. Given to me by my two superiors. Namely, my older brother Shisui," Zinnia pointed at the four scrolls to the far left, "until he died, and then," she pointed to the other six, "your sensei and mine, the Third Hokage. My infiltration of Team Magma was a failure. We should talk about it and some other stuff."

"Okay," Tsunade said, interlocking her fingers over her paperwork, "I'll bite. What's Brendan here for?"

I pointed my thumb over my shoulder to the door, and growled, "Imma go drag Sasuke back. He, you, Zinnia, Itachi, and Danzo have some shit to talk about."

"What conversation could we have with Itachi?" Tsunade asked, leaning back into her chair.

"How Danzo used my brother's eye to convince him to kill his own clan," Zinnia said, "and how we need to make this better."

I waved and left, but before I closed the door, I said, "Be right back, don't you worry."

I summoned Jiton, leapt on, and we took off through the village, and because we were above the pedestrians, but avoiding the rooftops, we got to achieve maximum speed. The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound was almost directly north of the Hidden Leaf Village, so that's the direction I went.

When Jiton and I were out of the village, we ascended above the trees, and Jiton sent out psychic sonar, bouncing off chakra and back to us. He had a lot of experience with Naruto, so that's who we latched onto, and then sped after him with everything we had.

As we raced over the forest, Jiton alerted me to residual dark chakra. Some of the Hidden Sound had peeled off from the pack to deal with the Hidden Leaf, but Naruto wasn't there anymore, so I had to assume they'd beaten at least one of them there, or caused a full retreat.

Then there was another dark chakra residue spot, and again, Naruto wasn't there. We kept going, and Jiton alerted me to two battles in progress between Shikamaru, Kiba, and two sound ninja using incredibly dark chakra. However, again, Naruto was farther ahead.

If Shikamaru had told Naruto to go on, he had to have a plan for those battles, so I didn't help. Just passed them was Naruto, in a clearing, using Nine-Tails chakra. Jiton freaked out, so I recalled him, and hid in the tree line. Naruto had summoned a mess of clones, but this guy he was fighting was mowing through them without issue.

It was Naruto, so it was safe to assume that he didn't have a plan, but none the less, I decided to choose my moment carefully. When the sound ninja had cleared the last shadow clones, I got a good look at him.

He wore a loose robe, which he had falling over one of his shoulders, a purple rope at his waist, per the Sound Ninja uniform, and a bone in his hand, which was sharpened like a sword. His skin was pale, his eyes were red, and his hair was long and bone white.

The Sound Ninja charged at Naruto, so I summoned the Executioner's Blade, and flung it at him so it spun through the air, and bore into a nearby tree. I leapt through the clearing, and landed on the blade like a platform, just like Zabuza. The intimidation factor was undeniable. "Where's Sasuke?" I demanded.

"Granny Tsunade told us you were busy, but I knew you'd show up Brendan!" Naruto exclaimed, "but Sasuke's not acting right! He ran off!"

I'd followed him this far, I could follow him a bit farther, besides, I couldn't use my Pokémon with him using his special chakra. "Go," I declared, "I'll take out the trash."

"This guy… he uses his own bones as weapons!" Naruto shouted, and charged off into the forest to my right, away from the sound ninja, "Be careful, he's unbelievable."

"I don't think so…" the sound ninja whispered, and pursued Naruto, but I pushed off the tree, pulling my blade with me, and landed between him and his quarry.

Bone met metal, and metal chipped. "Focus on your biggest problem," I insisted, "me."

AN: Getting closer. Part 1 ends in chapter 35.


	32. Chapter 32

Ch 32

Every slash I directed at this bone ninja from the Hidden Sound was deflected expertly. I was faster, and stronger, but his bone sword was smaller, lighter, and apparently sturdier than steel. It was a stalemate I wasn't interested in engaging, so I pushed him away, flipped backwards to get some distance, and summoned Katon.

Katon, however, fell over to the grass immediately, dazed. I reached through our bond and found that he was still high on Blissey Egg. That meant Suiton and Mokuton were out of the question too. I retracted him, and put a moment of thought into my next move.

Bone Ninja charged at me, but I sealed the Executioner's Blade back onto my back and flipped over him with ease. Without the Blade slowing me down, my speed outclassed his, and the realization in his eyes meant we both knew it, but it gave me an idea. I summoned Raiton, and linked up with him. "Helping Hand," I whispered.

Raiton cheered for me with blue, electric pom-poms. My speed increased, and I ran around bone ninja in a circle. "You got a name?" I asked.

"Kimimaro," he whispered, "I'm going to drag you back to Orochimaru too. He'll have use of somebody of your strength. What is your name?"

I stopped in front of him, and held out my hand. An Electro-Ball formed there, and flew at Kimimaro. "Brendan," I said, "I'm going to kill you now."

Kimimaro ducked under my attack, so it struck a tree behind him. I clapped politely, and held out my other hand, creating an Electro Ball in each palm. I shot one low, and one high, but Kimimaro managed to get sideways in mid-air, dodging both.

That was a fancy, but dumb move. I generated a forth Electro Ball, and shot it off at him as he began to return to the ground. Don't get me wrong, it's possible to redirect yourself in mid-air with ninjutsu, but it wasn't realistic for him to do that as fast as I could generate attacks.

When my attack hit him, it buried itself in his sternum, and ran through him, arcs of electricity racing over his limbs and face, utterly toasting him. When our speed was as different as it was, Electro Ball was the perfect attack.

Kimimaro fell to the ground, and whispered, "Oh, you are very good Brendan, but I'm in a different league. The power provided to me by Orochimaru makes me nigh invincible."

"Blah, blah, blah," I countered, and hit him with another Electro Ball.

This one sunk into him, but it didn't quite expand farther than his torso. I took a step back, and Minun stopped cheering. Kimimaro stood up, and shrugged his robe's shoulders off so they hung over his rope belt, revealing a glowing, expanding tattoo. "What is that?" I asked out of reflex.

"Orochimaru's curse mark of earth," Kimimaro seethed, and let out a wracking cough, "and it's why I'm in a completely different league."

"Take point," I whispered to Raiton, and formed electric pom-poms on my own hands.

I started jumping up and down, waving my hands, and Raiton flickered out of sight, appearing just in front of Kimimaro with an active Chidori in her paw. Raiton jabbed, but a new, interlocking rib cage burst out of Kimimaro's chest, arresting Raiton's momentum before she could make contact with Kimimaro's flesh.

"Whooo!" I cheered louder, and Raiton glowed with chakra.

My Pokémon formed a second Chidori on her other paw, and lashed at the bone, freeing herself. "Broken bones aren't a problem," Kimimaro snarled, "I can regrow them instantly with my Lord Orochimaru's power."

Raiton began to run around Kimimaro, using his Agility to up his speed. I cheered louder, and Kimimaro extended his arms, and fired something from his fingertips. Raiton was going so fast that he was able to avoid the five sent at him, but I wasn't able to avoid the five that came at me.

I held up my right arm in front of my face, and my left down in front of my groin, and two of the missiles hit my right arm. I bent my arm and looked at the wound. It was like tiny shards of metal had been thrown at me, so I pulled out a kunai and worked them out of my skin. They were finger bones.

"Finish him!" I shouted, "We don't want him to start hurling bigger bones at us!"

Raiton gathered an Electro Ball on his tail, stopped running, and threw it at Kimimaro's back. The attack arced through him, to his limbs again, but then the sound ninja's tattoo began to expand again, lines covering his whole body. The electricity stopped dead in its tracks, and Raiton retreated behind my leg. That was dark chakra, and Raiton was scared.

So this was the kind of opponent the Sasuke Retrieval Team had been engaging. "This… this is the power Sasuke seeks?" I asked, "To become like you?"

Kimmmaro flickered out of sight, and then something hit me in the stomach so hard I fell backwards. Kimimaro appeared again, and planted his foot on my sternum. "Who wouldn't want to serve Lord Orochimaru?"

"Anyone with an ounce of sanity or integrity," I hazarded, which got Kimimaro to widen his eyes and grit his teeth.

"No need to look at me like I kicked your Snubbull, sheesh," I quipped, but that just got Kimimaro to lean on his leg, causing one of my ribs to creak dangerously.

A gust of wind blew Kimimaro off me, then a second gust of wind, with a Vibrava in the middle went over me, and turned to send Kimimaro up into the air. While the wind carried Kimimaro up, the Vibrava dropped out, and floated down to me. "Huh…" I patted Vibrava's head, "What did I do to become your friend?" I asked.

"You brought me and Suna together," a familiar, haughty voice declared.

I tilted my head up, and saw none other than Temari standing under the shade of a tree that lined the clearing. "We have got to stop meeting like this," I chuckled, "I'm starting to look bad with you coming to the rescue all the time."

The wind dissipated, and Kimimaro took a long fall to the earth. "That should take care of that," Temari said, "How did this guy give you so much trouble?"

"Don't be so sure, he can manipulate and repair his bones with a thought," I told her, "He's not going down that easy, or he'd already be down."

She summoned Yin and Yang, who fluttered around me happily, and then ascended to Temari's shoulders. "What else do I need to know?" she asked.

Kimimaro got up, and the lines began to glow, and expand, covering his whole body in orange light. "Every time that happens, he gets stronger," I warned, "If you've got a trump card, play it before he completes whatever he's doing.

Temari positioned her fan behind her, so she could swing it, and Suna, the Vibrava, leapt onto the fan's side. Temari swung, and shouted, "Dragonfire cyclone!"

The fan created a gale of wind, that Suna was able to direct using its wings. It veered right, and then turned back to slam into Kimimaro mid-transformation, sending him into the air again. Suna dropped out of the gale a second time, but this time it looked up at the gale, and spewed a stream of dragon fire.

The wind caught fire, and turned into a vortex of blue flame. When the dragon fire faded, Kimimaro dropped to the earth again, coughed, and got up. His skin was brown, with strange markings on his face, a reptilian tail, and bone spikes protruded from his back. "Lord Orochimaru makes me stronger… than you could ever hope to be."

"He's… he's sick," I whispered, "he keeps coughing. Stun Spore."

Temari glared at me, "I know that."

Yang flapped its wings fervently, creating a yellow dust cloud. Temari swung her fan, and the cloud washed over Kimimaro. "Raiton," I whispered, "Let's give her a Helping Hand."

We formed pom-poms, and started jumping up and down. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

"Do the dragon thing!" I shouted, "I believe in you!"

Suna assumed the position on Temari's fan, and Temari swung. This gale was three times the size of its predecessors, and scooped up Kimimaro like he was a twig. Once he was in the air, Suna dropped out again, and his dragon fire was more inferno than stream. "Whoa…" Temari gasped, "That move of yours is something else."

When the inferno burnt out, there was nothing left inside. Kimimaro was dead. I turned the direction that Naruto had run off, and said, "Let's go. We need to get Sasuke."

I recalled Raiton, and took off, Temari right behind me. "We're getting dangerously close to the Land Hidden in the Sound," Temari commented, "We won't be ready for whatever is on the other side of the border."

I nodded and ran faster. Out of nowhere there was a break in the forest for a river, with wide, smooth stones forming the river bank instead of sand. I stopped, and looked around. "Did we lose them?" I asked Temari, "Shit. I could have lost them."

The heavy, and angry chakra of the ninetails exploded to my left, so I ran towards it, along the river, and soon enough, the river turned into a water fall, the beginning of the Final Valley. Down on the surface of the lake which occupied the Final Valley, were Naruto and Sasuke, locked in pitched combat. "We've got to pick our moment, and then turn the tide," I said, "but this isn't going to be a fight our Pokémon can get involved in, okay?"

"She's not gonna be involved either," a voice I didn't recognize declared.

I turned around to see a pale dude with shaggy white hair that framed his face and sharpened teeth. He had Temari trapped inside a water prison jutsu maintained by a clone. "The name's Suigetsu Hozuki, of the Hidden Mist. I've come from my village to retrieve the Executioner's Blade, and my bingo book says you're the guy who can help me with that."

I looked over my shoulder to the battle below. I could feel the nine tailed chakra, but it wouldn't freak my Pokémon up above the Valley proper. "I must confess that I'm having quite the day," I cracked my neck, "You sure you want to make me angry?"

Suigetsu smiled, "They call you the Red Demon… they call me the Second Coming of the Demon. It sounds like a party to me. You don't like parties?"

"Zabuza himself gave me the Executioner's blade, Raikage gave me the name," I whispered, "and now I'm going to beat you so badly you tell the Hidden Mist just who the Second Coming truly is…"

AN: Cliffhanger! Were you ready? WERE YOU?!


	33. Chapter 33

Ch 33

It was me vs. Suigetsu Hozuki at the lip of the Final Valley. Suiton, Katon, and Mokuton were drugged, Raiton had to be exhausted, but hopefully Jiton had recovered from our speed run. I summoned him, and he spun around with a flourish. "You're toast," I declared with a sadistic grin.

Suigetsu, to his credit, grinned right back, "Your teeth haven't even begun to change. You can't have much experience with the Blade yet. Just hand it over and I'll give you back your girl."

I summoned the blade, spun it around my head like it was a toothpick, and then pointed it at him, "I haven't been using it long," I admitted, "but I've been training like hell to use it just the same."

I summoned Jiton, with my free hand, and jumped onto his head. "What the hell is that!?" Suitgetsu asked, "You didn't use blood, that's no summon!"

Jiton dashed at our enemy, and I held the Blade back so I could slice him as we passed him towards Temari. When I slashed through him, he turned to water, a water-clone, I surmised, so I that indicated that the body holding Temari was the real deal. Jiton and I continued on, but then someone tapped me on my shoulder.

I craned my neck to peer over my shoulder, and saw Suigetsu, his body congealing out of the water I'd sliced in half. "Conventional weapons don't work on me," Suigetsu crooned, "I'm a Hozuki."

He grabbed onto the Blade's hilt, and tugged on it, "I'll be taking this," he hissed.

I pulled on my bond with Jiton, and took his traits. You're not the only one who can change their form, I projected into his mind.

Suigetsu's thoughts raced about genjutsu, and the different ways to counter them, so I elbowed his reformed body, sending him flipping off Jiton to the ground, and came down to bear on Suigetsu's second body. It turned to water and parted out of the way of my blade as I passed by.

Jiton stopped, and turned around. I floated off him to the ground, and glared at the free moving Suigetsu. Jiton floated counterclockwise, away from the other Suigetsu, around the free roamer, and I stuck the Executioner's blade into the rocks that made up the riverbank.

Jiton and I focused out psychic energy to our heads, and charged in for a double Zen Headbutt attack. Suigetsu's eyes widened, and he tried to dodge, but we were locked onto his mind, so it didn't matter. Jiton and I knocked into each other through Suigetsu's head.

Jiton and I bounced apart, and floated above our target as it completely dissolved into water. We turned to stare at the real Suigetsu, and I projected, Was that unconventional enough for you?

I landed, and dropped the transformation. Jiton charged off at Suigetsu, prompting the water ninja to dodge and roll, releasing the water prison. Temari collapsed onto the ground as the water flowed over her, taking heaving breaths, and glaring knives at Suigetsu. "Brendan…" she gasped.

Jiton floated back to my side, and I responded, "Yeah?"

"Kill him," she snarled.

I ran in, Jiton on my hip, and cleaved Suigetsu in two again, but this time, Jiton grabbed his legs, and tossed them away from his body, and I stabbed the blade down through his torso. Suigetsu cocked an eyebrow at me. "Uh… what are you doing?" he asked, "That'll just slow me down…"

I pulled through Jiton 's bond, charged the blade with psychic energy, and dragged the sword up through Suigetsu's head. He twitched a bit, switching between solid and liquid, while his legs crawled over. When he reformed, he went limp, totally unconscious.

I nicked his cheek with the Executioner's Blade, and he bled. "Interesting," I mused, then turned to Jiton, "Keep him unconscious until I can decide what to do with him."

Jiton glowed with white light, expanding, growing two new limbs, and evolved into a Metagross. He reached over with one of his massive arms, the golden points of his claws glowing blue, and he grabbed Suigetsu's head. "Hang out over here until I say so, okay?" I asked, and my newly massive Pokémon grunted affirmative.

Temari punched Suigetsu's face, and asked, "Why isn't he dead?"

"He may be useful," I said, "But let's focus on Naruto and Sasuke."

We ran towards the lip of the Final Valley, and saw the final exchange of blows. Naruto, cloaked in crimson chakra, with a vermillion Rasengan in his palm, vs. Sasuke, his curse mark fully activated, with dark skin, and giant wings sprouted from his back that looked like wings, and a black Chidori in his hands. Kage shared his master's cloak, but was outnumbered, Smasher and Avenger coming at him from both sides.

Kage conjured dual Aura Spheres, unleashed them at his foes. The first aura sphere caught Smasher in the face, sending him spinning down to the river bottom, where he didn't get up, but the second Aura Sphere glanced off the thick shell of Avenger, now a Shelgon. Avenger closed the distance between them and delivered a critical Zen Headbutt.

Kage flew through the air, and stuck into the Cliffside, unconscious. Sasuke and Naruto charged through the air at each other, and their jutsu collided. A giant, black ball of chakra resulted, vaporizing any water and even stone that came in contact with it. The ball destroyed the legs of the two statues that stood watch over the Valley. "My god," I whispered.

When the ball faded, Naruto was unconscious on the Valley floor by the waterfall, and Sasuke was standing over him. I held out a hand to Jiton with my free hand, leaned the Executioner's Blade across my shoulders with the other, and then grabbed Temari around the waist with my free hand. Jiton dashed for us, and I jumped up just in time to land on his head, and we sailed down into the Valley.

Sasuke fell to his knees, and stared at Naruto for a moment, before he stood up and began walking away. I jumped to land in front of him, and shouted, "Temari, check on Naruto!"

"Get out of my way Brendan," Sasuke growled, "My revenge doesn't concern you."

"There's a lot you don't know Sasuke," I countered, "You're acting without all the facts."

"What do you know?" he countered, "I still have enough in the tank to take you down too."

"It's not about what I know," I cleared my throat, "It's about what Zinnia knows. The truth of the downfall of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke activated his sharingan, "Stop talking in riddles, or I'll kill you."

I stuck the EB into the ground, and pulled Zinnia's scroll from my bag. "She'll explain everything herself."

I unfurled the scroll on the ground, and a crow appeared. The crow looked from me to Sasuke, and flew off to the east, not towards the village. "I don't have time for this," Sasuke countered, and moved to walk past me.

I grabbed onto the EB's handle, and swung myself around it to kick him in the chest, sending him rolling backwards towards Temari, Jiton, and Naruto. "Pin him," I growled, and turned my eyes towards the sky.

A minute later, a Salamance flew into view, and dove, showing Zinnia on its back. She dropped off its back at the lowest point of its dive before it flew back up into the air, circling above us. "You are causing way too much trouble Sasuke," she reprimanded, "it's not your fault, I guess, but still…"

She looked over to Naruto, and gasped, "Yikes! You did _that_? To a Jinchuriki?"

Sasuke activated his curse mark a second time, and started moving Jiton's arm off him. Zinnia glared at him, and he stopped. A quiet movement passed, and Sasuke's curse mark state subsided. "Where's Itachi?" he demanded, "Where's Danzo!?"

"Danzo's dead," Zinnia replied, "Lady Tsunade, Steven Stone, Norman, and I went to arrest him, but he didn't want to go quietly. Itachi is still under deep cover in the Akatsuki organization. He's providing information to me and Lord Jiraiya."

"So… even after all that you've shown me, and how everything's changed he still can't make time for me," Sasuke sagged down to the ground, staring up to the sky as it started to rain, "How have things changed at all then?"

"The Akatsuki is cloaked in mystery, even to its members," Zinnia replied, "and since Orochimaru left, they're doubly suspicious of their own people. If Itachi goes missing for too long they'll kill him, and strong as Itachi is- the Akatsuku are no pushovers. We know that anybody planning to gather all the tailed beasts is up to no good. We need Itachi where he is."

"That's not what I meant," Sasuke snapped, "even after all the training I've done. After this curse mark… I'm still too weak for Itachi to acknowledge me. What's really changed?"

"Now you don't have to be an evil prick," I said slowly, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke, "now you can come back to the village. Begin actually restoring the Uchiha Clan's reputation like your brother wanted."

"My brother spared me because I was more important to him than the clan," Sasuke countered, "and I feel the same way. Fuck the clan. Damn its reputation. I need to get stronger, and save my brother from the Akatsuki."

"And save Naruto?" I added.

Sasuke tilted his head up to look at Naruto, and his head fell back onto the ground. "I-I don't think I could even look him in the eye, as far as I've fallen."

There was a pregnant pause for a moment. "Well, saying sorry might be a good first step," I countered, "You idiot. Let's go back to the village."

Sasuke's eyes hardened, he activated his curse mark, and pushed Jiton's arm off himself. He stood up, and panted as his curse mark state faded again. "I need to prove to Itachi that I am strong enough to stand with him. If Itachi has gone undercover to serve the village, then so will I. I'll be Orochimaru's treasured pupil. The village's inside man."

"Orochimaru won't be so easy to fool," Temari said, "He's not some flunky. He'll be able to see through you, with or without the Sharingan."

"There's a time limit on Orochimaru's immortality jutsu," Zinnia interjected, "Our intel points to a three year break between hosts. And it's probable that the delays caused by the retrieval team have led to Orochimaru hopping to a new host within the past day. Sasuke would have three years to train, and spy. If Sasuke could maintain character through that time, he could save the village a lot of trouble in the event of another attack on the Hidden Leaf."

"That jutsu?" I asked.

Zinnia gestured for me to go forward. "I'm going to turn you into a sleeper," I explained, performed the hand-signs: Snake, Horse, Bird, Rat, Dog, Rabbit, Ram, Boar, and Snake, and touched his forehead, "You will forget this talk, like it never happened, and leave this place with very intention to kill Itachi. Make every effort to obtain the power you'll need to restore your clan's honor by getting your revenge. You are an Avenger, and nothing else matters. When I remove my hand from your head, you will not see anybody else in the Final Valley, and continue on to Orochimaru's lair."

I removed my hand, Sasuke's eyes drifted out of focus, and he left to the north, into the Land of Sound. Then I turned to Suigetsu. "That still leaves us with him," I said.

"Who is he?" Zinnia asked.

"Suigetsu Hozuki," I said, "He wants to collect the Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist, and decided he'd start with mine."

"You should kill him," Temari seethed.

"Better to use him," Zinnia mused, "Most of the Swords aren't in the hands of the Hidden Mist anymore. You could gather them, Brendan."

I looked to the Executioner's Blade, and sealed it into my back, "Better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have," I responded, and performed the jutsu.

"Don't ask him to look for Shark Skin," Zinnia prompted, "That won't end well."

"Suigetsu Hozuki, I saved your life, and to repay me, you will search for each of the Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist, with the exceptions of the Executioner's Blade, and Shark Skin," I started, "Gather information on the ones who use them, and report back to me."

I pulled back, and Suigetsu woke up. "Should get moving, I guess," he sighed, "most of the swords are in the hands of rogue ninja anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard."

He left, and Temari asked, "How reliable is that jutsu?"

"Invented by one of the Akatsuki," I responded, "So I'm thinking it's scary reliable."

Zinnia clapped me on the shoulder, and declared, "And so the spy network of Brendan grows to two. Not bad. And your Pokémon have all evolved. Let's head back, I'll tell Lady Hokage."

AN: two more chapters in part one.


	34. Chapter 34

Ch 34

Shortly after Sasuke left, Zinnia mumbled something calming down Itachi, and flew off into the distance, leaving Temari and I to take back an unconscious Naruto. Jiton pulled Kage out of the valley wall, and we saw Avenger retrieve Smasher from the river bottom before following after his master. Once Kage was secure, Jiton picked up Naruto, I and Temari got onto Jiton's now very large head and zoomed back towards the village.

Halfway back, Naruto woke up. "What… only me?" he asked.

"Only you buddy," I confirmed.

I felt bad for lying, but Naruto would have spilled the beans on Sasuke, so I had to. The necessity of the lie didn't make it easier, but it made it bearable. Naruto's silence was uncomfortable. When we reached the village gate, medical ninja took Naruto away, and we were pointed to one of the gate's guard stations built into the gate's pillars.

Inside were the Fifth Hokage, Homura, Koharu, and Norman. "You can wait outside, Sand Ninja," my father said curtly, and she bowed out, but waited outside.

"Danzo has been dealt with," Tsunade said, "but even now I find it hard to believe how evil he was. In my mind, even when he was wrong, he was doing what he thought was right."

"Where is Sasuke?" Homura demanded.

"He's decided to imitate Itachi, and infiltrate the Hidden Sound," I answered, "I've turned him into a sleeper agent, courtesy of the Akatsuki's jutsu. In three years I will retrieve him."

"That wasn't your decision to make," Norman reprimanded, "you should have dragged Sasuke back. Now the only sharingan in the village belong to Zinnia and she's got her own agenda. We could have shaped Sasuke to fit the village's interests."

I turned my chin up at him, "Deal with it old man. It's done."

Tsunade gave my father a look, "It's fine. Better than fine. We have an advantage, and in a theater that we sorely need one."

I bowed my head to the hokage and said, "Glad to hear someone's making sense."

My father seethed for a moment, and left. Just as he stepped out into the sun, he called, "Wally! Training recommences."

It felt like I took a punch to the gut. Lightheaded, I swerved around in place for a moment, before turning around all the way. "Wally?"

My father didn't turn around, but when Wally did. He was dressed in ANBU garb. "Y-you're just a genin," I stammered, "What the hell?"

"And generally ANBU only takes jonin, true," my father responded, "but I'm the head of the Foundation now. The Foundation will take Academy students. Maybe if you shape up I'll take you too."

"What are you doing Wally?!" I demanded.

One of Wally's eyebrows climbed up his head. "I'm doing what I need to do to protect my friends. This is the fastest way up the ranks," he said slowly, "Who are you to judge me, Red Demon?"

"Him?!" I demanded, "You'd take help from him!?"

"I can't believe you haven't," Wally swiped his hand through the air, "He's got the most experience being a ninja and a Pokémon trainer. Not even Steven-sensei has his years of experience."

I'd like to claim I wanted to cut my father for taking Wally, but I honestly don't know what came over me when I said, " _I'm_ stronger than this deadbeat."

Norman spun around and demanded, "Is that what all this drama is about? The fact that I wasn't around? Didn't your mother explain the fact that I needed to be here to secure the mercenary contract for Pokémon trainers like you?"

"You're here only because of the work I put in over the years boy," he continued, "You need to grow up, Brendan."

"Deadbeat," I repeated, "and you're _weak_. I've been a Pokémon trainer for less than a year, and yet I'm closer to Mega Evolution than you. Does it burn, to be outclassed by the son you didn't care for?"

"Can you walk your talk?" Norman demanded.

"You even banter like a loser," I whispered, "Anytime you want. Anywhere you want."

He nodded, and started walking out into the street. "Right here," he spat, "Right now."

I checked Katon's scroll. He was good. I summoned him, and stepped out into the road. My father pulled out two tonfas, which I responded to with the Executioner's Blade. Norman charged, with speed that surprised me for a moment, but I managed to get the EB up in time to block his savage downward thrust.

The EB's edge chipped, and Norman smirked, "You are unworthy of such a weapon."

I pushed on the blade, sending him back across the road, and he continued, "You let me chip off a portion of its edge."

Norman summoned a Vigoroth, and Katon flickered out of sight. My Pokémon delivered a stunning Sky Uppercut to the enemy Pokémon, and I leapt into the air, slashing horizontal. Due to the lack of the edge, the EB hit more like a club than a sword, but when Vigoroth bounced off the door to the village, a bit of blood spurted out of its mouth.

The blood flew through the air, and coated the broken portion of the blade, not restoring the edge to full sharpness, but restoring some cutting power. "That's not how my sword works," I chuckled, "doesn't matter if you chip it, or if you break it. I can repair it with your blood."

As I began to float down Norman jumped up at me, aiming to repay me for Katon's uppercut, but I reached through Katon's bond, and flickered out of sight. I sped to Norman's side, wreathed my leg in flame, and delivered a Blaze Kick to his ribs.

His clothes caught fire, and he exploded away from me, into the opposite gate's guard tower. I dashed in to cleave him in two, but Vigoroth stopped me with chakra infused claws. My hand darted under the EB, grabbed Vigorth's neck, and I slammed the hilt of my sword into its forehead, knocking it out.

Norman pulled himself out of the rubble, and ran at me, but I blocked one of his tonfa with the side of the EB. The second tonfa came at the point of my sword, snapping off the curved portion of the blade.

Katon appeared behind Norman, and kicked him forwards. As he passed me, I reversed my grip on my weapon, and hamstrung him with flourish. His blood fixed the sword again, and I spun it to the side and over my shoulder, coming down at a diagonal angle.

Tsunade stopped the blade with one hand, and said, "Enough."

I grabbed her other hand, pushed my chakra into it, and went through the signs for the Grand Fireball. I shot the fireball over her shoulder, but Norman was phased underground before it could get him. I pulled away from Tsunade and faced Wally.

Norman phased up through the ground behind him, Wally summoned a Gallade, and said, "Enough, Brendan. You're out of control."

"Gen?" I asked, looking to the Gallade.

"We've decided Ken would better fit him now," Wally said, and Ken extending his arm blades, "You're not the only one undergoing training Brendan."

My mother ran down the street and demanded, "What's going on here?!"

"Brendan's like a wild animal," my father grunted, "he almost killed me."

Temari stepped up to my side and huffed, "It sounds like you deserve it."

"What would you know?" Norman demanded.

"My father tried to kill my younger brother more times than I can count," she retorted, "I know a bad father when I see one."

Mom looked from me to Norman, and then back to me, "It's gotten this bad, Brendan?"

I glared at my father, because I could not bear to look at mom. "How could you still be married to this loser?" I asked, "All those years he wasn't with us, and he's _weak_. What was it all for if not for him? Selfish Bastard."

"He was trying to make a life for us," she explained, "he wasn't with us because he wanted the best for us."

"He wasn't there," I swiped my hand through the air, "because all he cares about is himself. Being a ninja isn't that hard."

"I did what I thought was best," Norman pleaded, "Brendan, try to understand that."

I sealed away the Executioner's Blade, and leaned close to him, "Best case scenario you were wrong," I seethed, "but I don't buy it. Look how your tone has changed after you lost. Coward."

"I thought this was teenage rebellion!" he countered, "I was trying to be stern to show you your sarcasm and your insubordination aren't acceptable."

"How's that workin' for ya?" I demanded.

Mom got in my face and said, "He's not perfect, no father is. But he's provided everything for us. All the time apart paid off. We're in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You're a ninja. That's all thanks to him."

"May is dead because he prevented us from undergoing Mega Evolution training," I snapped, "My best friend is DEAD! It's his fault, and if being a Leaf Ninja is his gift then I don't want it!"

I yanked the forehead protector Steven-sensei had given me and showed it to her. "It's exactly like Temari said. Look at this thing. I'm not a Leaf Ninja. I'M THEIR FLUNKIE! Their Pokémon training attack dog."

"Brendan, what are you saying?" Mom asked.

"He said it best," I tossed the forehead protector to the ground, "I'm a mercenary, right? I quit."

"What?!" Tsunade demanded.

"You must be joking!" Wally exclaimed, "I thought we wanted to protect our friends!"

"I don't need to live in this village to fight Team Magma or Team Aqua," I recalled Katon, and put away his pokescroll, "In fact, it's better this way. Dear old Dad can't hold me back anymore."

Wally grabbed my shoulders. "You'd become a rogue ninja just to spite your father?!"

"I'll change employers to spite my father!" I retorted, "The Hidden Sand is supposed to be wonderful in the spring."

"We can't just let you leave, Brendan…" Tsunade said, "You're a chunin. If you went rogue, you'd be an S-class missing-nin in no time at all."

"We have to let him go," Koharu grunted, "It was part of Norman's initial contract. We haven't revised it. If Brendan decides to leave, we can't stop him."

"I told you renegotiating the contract should have been a priority, Lady Tsunade," Homura chided, "If we stop Brendan, other Pokémon trainers may try decide not to work with us, or worse, try to free him."

Tsunade pointed a finger at me, "I'm not going to let you try to attack this village."

"Most of my friends live here," I said, incredulous, "Why would I attack my friends? I won't work with you, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

"What you're saying doesn't make sense," Tsunade asserted.

I sighed, "Then let me use terms you will understand. My father is a cancer, and I'm cutting him out of my life. No more cancer."

"Don't forget: Norman's the bad guy here," Temari said, "Blame him for this."

Tsunade breathed deeply. "Is there anything I can do to convince you not to go, Brendan?"

I kept my spine. "Kick him out."

"I can't do that," she sighed, "he's vital to the village in these tough times."

"Well then I can't live here," I said, "I love you guys, I mean it. But I won't stand by while this man allows my friends to be killed in action."

I looked at my father, and the crowd that was gathering, "I think we're done here."

Temari and I walked out of the village gate, and she summoned Yin and Yang, "Go get my brothers, then catch up."

We took off down the road, and the portion of my life where lived and worked in the Hidden Leaf came to a close.

AN: big shout out to JadeNoRyu for calling me out on Kage's gender. Kage is a lady Lucario and somehow I forgot! I'm not going to go back and correct it in previous chapters because that would be a drag, but I'll be extra careful from here on out. One more chapter and Part 1 comes to a close.


	35. Chapter 35

Ch 35

Three miles away from the village Kankuro broke the silence. "So… this time, after we help the Hidden Leaf… we have to be escorted to the border?" he asked, "Are you two that desperate to make out?"

"That's not what happened," Temari glared daggers, "Brendan is…"

"I'm aiming to get hired by the Hidden Sand village," I interrupted, "I terminated my contract with the Hidden Leaf."

Kankuro stopped running for a moment, said something I couldn't hear, and then ran to catch up with us, silent again. "You're defecting?" Gaara asked, "Why?"

"The Leaf wasn't big enough for me and my father to live in," I sped up, "Can we just move faster? I want to get out of here."

Five shadows dashed passed us, and stopped in our path. Steven-sensei and the Elite Four had something they wanted to tell me. "I've made my choice," I looked my sensei in the eye, "I don't want anything that man gave me."

"So you throw away all of your friendships?" Steven-sensei demanded, "I know things are bad, but a brawl in the middle of the street? Seriously?"

I growled and rolled my eyes, "Why is everyone saying that? The Sand and the Leaf are allies now. Even if we don't live in the same village we can still be friends. I would never attack the Hidden Leaf. My mother lives there for fuck's sake."

Steven-sensei was looking at me like I was speaking gibberish. His eyes were wide, his lips turned down and stretched like he was fighting back a billion impulsive responses, each one more depressing than the last. Sydney cleared his throat, and tossed a badge at me underhand.

I caught it, it looked like an old timey barbell. "The Balance Badge. For beating your father," he said, "and for the record, I dig the move. Good on you for showing the old man that you won't take his shit."

"Sydney!" Phoebe admonished, "Can't you see how much pain Steven's in? We came here to convince Brendan to come back with us, not get caught up with fighting against an imperfect system."

"Should we?" asked Glacia, "I mean… the village was holding him back. Maybe this way he can return to us stronger than we could have made him. I respect his drive."

"We should have overridden Norman," Drake spat, "taught the boy Mega Evolution ourselves. How can we afford to let go of someone so talented? Let's just drag him back now and keep him and Norman on opposite sides of the village."

"I'VE MADE MY CHOICE!" I bellowed, quieting the bickering, "I'm not letting anyone hold me back anymore, and I'm never losing another fight. The Leaf won't help me, but the Sand will."

"I don't appreciate being talked to like that by a caterpillar like you," Phoebe narrowed her eyes at me, and they became rimmed with shadow matter, "you're no butterfly yet, boy."

"Love it," Sydney cooed, "Look at that glare! There's no stopping him, man. Let him wreak havoc."

"You're a fucking cartoon," Drake insisted, "This foolishness is helping nobody."

"Anarchy is the way to go!" Sydney insisted, "He's a good kid; let's not get in his way!"

"So we just let anyone with power do whatever they want?" Phoebe asked, "What if I want to pummel your head in so hard you get a view of your colon?"

Glacia purred, "Let Steven decide the issue. This is his student, after all."

Steven-sensei's eyes watered, "There's nothing I can say to convince you, yeah?"

I fiddled with my backpack, around where my forehead protector had been. "I want to stand on my own two feet."

"To prove to Norman that you don't need him?" Steven-sensei demanded, "Everybody who saw that fight knows that you've _never_ needed him. Even Norman!"

"He wants to prove it to himself too," Glacia interjected, "that everything he said and did was more than just talking and luck."

Steven-sensei looked to her, and then back to me. I held eye contact, and then he stepped out of the way. "You're joking!" Phoebe screeched.

"We'll regret this later," Drake started back towards the village, "you mark my words."

Temari and I continued on, and Gaara caught up to us. I looked over to him, and he looked into my eyes, a curious look on his face. "You don't have eyes like I used to, but I wonder if you'll be able to protect the Leaf while working for the Sand."

"It's not like fighting Orochimaru, where he only wants to destroy the Leaf," I answered, "I'm fighting Team Magma and Team Aqua. Everywhere they are, I'll find them, stop them from using their Pokémon, and kill them."

"Just like that?" Kankuro asked.

I nodded, and we continued our trip in silence. Eventually we set up camp by the border, in a clearing. When I was standing watch, Itachi and Zinnia walked into camp. "Thought I'd see you two," I said, "you gonna ask me to turn back too?"

"No," Zinnia said, "You're not wrong. We don't think you're right either, but we're not exactly the moral authority around here."

She handed me a black scroll with a red crow print. "What's this?" I asked.

"It's a mirage scroll," she explained, "a new frontier of space time jutsu I've been working on lately."

I unrolled the scroll, but it was blank. "What does it do?"

Zinnia and Itachi each revealed an additional mirage scroll. "Write the first letter of your name, and then an intelligence report." Itachi cleared his throat, "We'll see it. A way for us to keep in touch, no matter how far you go."

I rolled up the scroll, and slipped it into my bag. "I'll expand my network, let you know where I'm putting people."

"When your new village is ready to let you go on a long term assignment, I'll take you to Kalos to study Mega Evolution," Zinnia tilted her head at the sleeping sand siblings, "they seem like good people."

With that, the two Uchiha left, going separate ways. "Huh, what do you think of my friends, Gaara?"

He stopped pretending to sleep, and sat down next to me in the grass. "They walk a dark path, but they don't seem like bad people. Like you."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "I guess you don't get to meet people like them unless you walk a dark path, huh?"

"Don't let it consume you," he advised.

I looked to Temari, and said, "There's a lot of light around me, I won't forget."

"It's funny," he mused, "You had a lot of friends, but in order to protect them, left them, and yet I, who have had no friends, now try to walk a lighter path to obtain them… somehow though, I think we understand each other."

My jaw had this angry thudding going through it, but I grinned wide. "We're not that different. You know, if you want I'll be your friend."

Gaara smiled, and said, "I think I'd like that, Brendan. You're number four."

"But number one in your heart, right?" I asked.

That got a chuckle. "I got a laugh out of Gaara of the desert. Worth all the pain."

"With Shukaku, I can't really sleep anyway," Gaara whispered, "How about you go ahead, and let me keep watch?"

I laid back, and sleep came quickly. However, so did waking. I was jostled awake with a persistent shoving. "Let's go toothy," Kankuro teased, and handed me a dubious foodstuff containing meat and beans wrapped inside a flat, flaccid bread.

"What is this?" I asked.

"I call it a Burrito!" Kankuro exclaimed, wrapping his puppet in strips of linen cloth.

I chomped down, checked my bag, and pulled out my toothbrush from one of its many pockets. Just when I'd gotten it out, the sand siblings took off, so I ran after them while reaching for my toothpaste. But when I started the teeth in my mouth didn't feel like they were mine. I pulled the brush out of my mouth and asked, "Anybody got a mirror?"

Gaara slowed to stand next to me. "What's wrong?"

I showed him my teeth and said, "You tell me."

His eyes widened, "Your teeth… they're pointy."

I sighed, and reached into my mouth. My index finger made contact with my front, lower teeth, and met a wicked point. I pulled the finger away, a little fast, but not with any considerable force, and I gave my finger two paper cuts. "Ow!" I shouted reflexively.

"Brendan, did you give yourself a boo-boo?" Temari teased.

I snapped my new teeth at her, and she raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm a shark man now," I explained, " _rawr_."

Kankuro burst out laughing, and even though Temari rolled her eyes, she smiled wide. Gaara tilted his head an acknowledgement, "We'll make sure the Hidden Sand Council buys you a nice, big tank," he jibed.

The next three years were filled with training, travel to faraway places, I accidentally destroyed a small nation… and through it all, I made a home for myself in the village Hidden in the Sand. None of it was really earthshattering though. It was this weird peaceful period, a calm before the storm. And boy, did the storm hit…

AN: That's the end of part 1. I'll probably take a week to storyboard part 2 and stuff. I shouldn't be too long.


	36. Chapter 36

Ch 36

Two and a half years later things got crazy again. I'll ease you into it. Junpei of the Hidden Sand was a jonin, and the village's contact with Devon. He transported product from Devon to the village, and ensured the Pokemart's shelves were filled with the goods it needed. Part of my operation in the Sand Village was focused on the acquisition of legendary pokemon and Devon had been doing research for me.

I'd asked for a pokescroll with high level sealing script, and they'd delivered a prototype of what they were calling the Master Scroll. Junpei was just smart enough to recognize how valuable it was, and just stupid enough to try and steal it.

On another note, my spy network was always growing, and it was always on the look for high level sealing script. Junpei, to be forever more known as the fucktard, tried to deliver the Master Scroll to my network, but he wouldn't meet my contact. He'd meet Temari, Kankuro, and I.

That may sound like overkill, but… I needed that scroll undamaged, so Junpei needed to be taken care of in an instant, removing any chance of damage to the Master Scroll. The meet was scheduled for noon, at the dilapidated Temple of the Sun, north of the Sand Village. The Temple of the Sun had been the center of a religion in time before remembering, featuring wide open squares, now only recognizable by its mud-brick walls, just barely sticking out of the sand, and a tower of impressive height, at which we stood, waiting.

I'd changed a lot over the years too. My first ninja gear had been all red and black, but the change in village had demanded a change in outfit. My jacket was mostly black, with green stripes going down the sides of my arms, connecting a green pokeball print over my shoulders and my green, fingerless gloves. My pants were black, with green stripes down the outside of the leg, and I was sporting a black pair of shoes. I hid my swordsmen shark-teeth behind a metal plate which covered my mouth and nose, wrapping around my head to cover my ears which served as a sandstorm guard and underwater breathing apparatus. I had a new beanie which was like the old one, but green where the old one had been black and red, and I had a new pack which, again, continued the green pokeball print motif.

Kankuro lounged against the rail of the roof of the tower, sipping absently on a bottled water with one hand, and working his other hands fingers by manipulating a pair of tiny puppets to do the mambo. He had the same, black clothes, only with three puppet scrolls on his back, and one pokescroll at each hip. He looked over to me as I stood on the exact center of the roof. "So, if Junpei isn't going to be running supplies for us, who can we trust?" he asked, "You gonna put him under your sleeper jutsu?"

"Disloyal sleepers don't usually come back with information," I murmured and cracked my neck, "not much use if they don't tell me what I want to know."

Kankuro narrowed his eyes, and his puppets began to spar. "Yeah, but putting a worm like Junpei into an enemy organization could seriously undermine them when you undo your jutsu."

I nodded in agreement, "Good point. I'll consider it."

Kankuro's puppets subsided into a pile and he pointed behind me, "Look who's back."

Temari, riding her Pidgeot, Fuuton, wearing a black kimono with her fan over her shoulder, was gliding down towards us from the south. She landed and Fuuton landed on the rail near Kankuro. "He's about five miles out… Time to get to work?" she asked.

I nodded, and Temari summoned Suna, her Flygon. I leapt at its neck and spun around to its back in a seated position. "Mush," I declared, and its wings became a blur of flapping.

Suna went over the rail, and then straight down the side of the tower, and Kankuro was not far behind on Fuuton while Temari herself drifted down on the wind. When we touched the sand at the foot of the tower, Kankuro and I leapt off, and Suna and Fuuton went skyward to meet Temari. Kankuro went into my pack and pulled out a face plate and two go-goggles. I was already wearing my sandstorm faceplate because of my scary, pointy teeth, but Temari liked being able to see my eyes.

I pulled on the go-goggles as Kankuro pulled on all his and then gave Temari a thumbs up. Fuuton, Suna, and Temari then began to kick up sand with their combined wind chakra. Suna's wings flapped with such speed that they generated the sounds of a wailing woman, and in less than a minute, a sandstorm was born. Kankuro and I dove into its heart.

Two seconds into the storm, we clicked buttons on the sides of our go-goggles, and they began to display infa-red light. As the sandstorm began to move toward Junpei, we went with it. Eventually, a single dot of heat came into view, running away from us and the wall of sand. He may have known what was coming. I doubted it.

The sand overtook him, and Kankuro and I surrounded him. Kankuro summoned Number 2, his Claydol, and I summoned Suiton. The pop of the pokescrolls caused Junpei to stop. "This wasn't the deal!" he cried, "I'll have you know that I've trained with the Demon of the Sand."

Suiton reached forward, and formed a cocoon of sand around Junpei, tightening his grip, and totally restricting him, but leaving his head free. "This doesn't matter!" he shrieked, "The Demon taught me twenty different ways to kill you even like this!"

I stepped forward, and Number 2 used its psychic powers to create a cylinder of free air. Junpei's eyes widened, and my face plate altered my voice to a mechanical croak, "Good thing I didn't teach you all my tricks then, huh?"

The sand near Junpei's crotch turned dark, so I avoided that area, but put my hand on his cocoon. I tapped my go-goggles with my other hand, and looked Junpei in the eyes. "Take the scroll," he whimpered, "Just don't kill me."

Suiton latched onto the scroll and removed it. It was about two feet long, and had a diameter of about a foot. I set the scroll down on the sand by my feet and said, "Don't beg. It's belittling. Don't think that because you lack loyalty and conviction that I lack either. I don't. You betrayed me, Junpei."

"I can be loyal!" Junpei pleaded, "I'll do whatever you want, please!"

I flashed through hand-signs that had become all too familiar over the year, and put Junpei under my sleeper jutsu. "You're a blank slate. Infiltrate Team Magma and await further instructions."

Junpei's head rolled back, and the sand released him. The storm moved by us, and died about a mile to the south, just before it reached the village. Temari landed between me and Kankuro. "Where are you sending him?" she asked.

"Magma," Kankuro said, "Ticking coward bomb."

Temari kicked his unconscious form. "I was considering him for a genin squad," she spat on him, "Bastard," she turned to the scroll, "This is the thing?"

I picked up the scroll and nodded, "Ordered with heavy duty seals for _three_ legendary Pokémon."

I pushed it over my back so it was propped between my bag and my shirt. "I'll keep it in my Secret Base until we need it."

From the south came the familiar, almost feminine wailing sound of a Flygon tearing through the sky. We all turned to see a Flygon bearing a red sash with the word "Love" stitched into it with black thread at regular intervals. "Whiplash," I identified.

Gaara's Flygon descended and turned so it could write in the sand using its tail. _Meeting with Tsunade and a red-eyed friend. Return immediately._ Kankuro reached for the Master Scroll and said, "I'll take care of this. You two go on ahead. I'll book back once the scroll is safe."

Temari nodded, and we ran towards the village, while Kankuro peeled off towards the North East. The sentries did not stop us as we cleared the village walls and dashed to the center of the village and the Kazekage building. At the top of the building were Gaara, Tsunade, and Zinnia. Tsunade eyed me and then Zinnia, "You two don't go and pull any more coup d'états, you hear?"

Zinnia shrugged, "No promises. Brendan makes for boring conversation."

I smiled, and we tore off, leaving Tsunade, Gaara, and Temari to discuss the chunin exam. "So glad you don't have to go this year," Zinnia said, "Waste of time."

"My students aren't a waste of time," I retorted, "They're prodigies."

Zinnia rolled her eyes, "Can they Mega-Evolve yet?"

I choked back the sarcastic remark that came to mind, "No."

She grinned wider and stopped atop the village perimeter wall. "This should be isolated, right?"

I nodded, and took a seat, with my legs hanging over the edge, so Zinnia did the same. "How are things on your end?" she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I have an Aqua admin, a Magma Admin, Sasuke, Suigetsu's working on tracking Raiga, Lanette is trying to perfect Bill's teleportation machine, I'm makin' money off every Pokémon contest, Aarune is working to scout out more secret bases, and Scott is recruiting trainers to join the Hidden Sand's ninja academy."

"So things are going great," Zinnia assessed, "Why do I sniff a hint of _grrr_ over there, buddy?"

"I hate having to hurry up and wait for something to happen," I spat, "Let's make some actual headway in getting rid of the Akatsuki, Team Magma, or Team Aqua."

Zinnia chuckled, "I've actually got something for you. Mirages have been appearing. Just like the last time the Legendaries appeared in the Elemental Nations."

I steepled my fingers, and looked over at her. She continued, "Rumor has it that a tower mysteriously comes in and out of being in the dead center of the Land of Wind. Mirage Tower. Maybe it can give us a clue about what our next move should be?"

"I'll head there now," I said, "I'll grab my team. Can you go?"

Zinnia shook her head, "Itachi and I have something lined up. Two mirages near Iron Island."

I held out my fist, and she bumped it, "I'll send any updates you need your way."

Zinnia released her Salamance, Draco, and went back towards the center of the village. I stood up on the wall, and looked around. About a hundred yards along the circumference of the wall was a gap-gate, loaded with traps for the unwary. Each gap-gate was manned by a few jonin who could work the traps from hidden positions. The jonin would signal shift changes with a mounted horn and specific notes that could be heard throughout the village.

I ran over to the horn, removed my mask, and blew six high notes. I replaced my mask, and waited just outside of the gap-gate. The first of my chunin to arrive was Wikstrom. He was a knight-errant that had started following me while I'd been on a mission in Kalos. He eschewed the gear of other Sand ninja, preferring the metal bands of armor that he'd trained with in his birthplace. From head to toe he was covered in sparkling armor, meticulously polished, and a broadsword strapped to his back. He called ninjutsu sorcery, but had taken quite well to Taijutsu, and incorporated the Eight Gates Training to his swordplay.

He kneeled before me, touched my shoe as a sign of reverence, and then stood at attention by my side. "Could you not?" I asked.

A chuckle emerged from behind his faceplate, totally featureless with slots for his eyes, "No, my lord. Respect, when earned, must be given."

A grumble escaped me. Diantha emerged from the gap-gate at a trot. She wore a light, white kimono, patterned not accidentally after Temari's, but with armor plating along her forearms and forelegs. She wore a cape that flared out behind her like fairy wings, an easy smile, and her headband was tied over her forehead. She pranced on by me and asked, "Where we goin'?"

"Places," I answered.

She narrowed her eyes as we began our game. "What kind of places?"

I waved my fingers mystically, "Strange places."

"Any specific strange places?" she inquired.

Before we could continue, Cynthia strutted out from the gap-gate. She wore black pants, a black shirt, and a black trench coat that swished when she walked. "You know he won't ever answer, right?" she asked.

Diantha smiled, her eyes glimmering with mischief, "You'll never know if you don't try."

Cynthia blew her long, blonde hair out of her eyes, but her bangs settled over her left eye. "Don't start the mission out by irritating me fairy girl."

I cut my hand down through the air. "Let's get started. Mirages have been appearing in places. We're going to check them out, cool?"

I started running to the north-west and they followed. I'd describe it, but… desert is desert. It was hot. Sand was everywhere, including the insides of my shoes. A few lizards. Whatever man. Point is, three hours into the run, I stopped, and pulled out my pokenav.

Devon had painstakingly covered every inch of the Lands of Wind, Fire, Sound, Rivers, Grass, and Waterfalls, courtesy of Hidden Sand and Leaf genin of course, and compiled the data into a comprehensive mapping service, and courtesy of their new satellite, even calling services. It was a magic, little orange pod that made my life easier. Diantha looked over my shoulder and hummed. "We're in the middle of the desert. This is a strange place."

I shrugged, and started walking around, "About to get stranger, in all likelihood."

"What are we looking for?" Wikstrom asked.

"I've found sand," Diantha quipped, "Lots, and lots of sand."

I waved my arms around me, and found my left arm disappearing from view. "Think we found what we're looking for," Cynthia murmured, and walked over to me.

I turned, and stepped through the mirage, to find a mud-brick tower that squatted at five stories above the desert sand. "What is this?" Cynthia asked.

"Mirage Tower," I answered, "A clue about the Legendary Pokemon we're hunting."

Diantha and Wikstrom stepped into the mirage, and I stepped into the tower itself.


	37. Chapter 37

Ch 37

The outside of Mirage Tower was a vague brown, beaten with sun, and if there had ever been any designs on it, the sun had erased them, or the cracks in the mud bricks marred them beyond recognition. The inside, however, was a different story. Vibrant blues, deep burgundy, and steely grey depicted giant blocks with arms, legs, and dots on their faces.

Cynthia hurried in after me, and stared at the wall. "What is this?"

The middle of the three figures was grey, with a rounded top, flat arms with three fingers each, stubby block legs, and seven dots on its center. "Seven dots in a circle tells you what?" I asked.

"Registeel." Wikstrom answered as he stepped in, "The Iron pokemon, one of the golem trio."

"Correct," I cleared my throat, "One of our primary objectives. Spread out. Take pictures."

I flipped my pokenav open, and clicked a picture of each of the golems. The inside of the tower was shaped into a hallway that followed the outside of the building, a thick column in the middle with a set of stairs leading up to the next level.

The second floor followed the same floor plan as below, but was painted grey, with Registeel patterned dots in red painted at regular intervals. Wikstrom started walking around slowly, but I continued up to the next floor.

It was ice blue everywhere, seven dots arranged in a cross with more width than height. Diantha followed me up, so I waved at the hallway, and she went exploring while I went up to the fourth floor.

Burgundy walls, with seven red dots arranged in an "H." Cynthia cleared her throat, "One floor for each golem?" she asked.

I looked around, and pointed to another ascending staircase, "Make no assumptions."

The fifth floor was the top floor, and it was totally undecorated. The mudbricks were unpainted, but pristine. I walked around, and behind the tower's support column was a granite tablet, with raised circles sticking out of it in deliberate patterns. "What's that?" Cynthia asked.

I stepped over to the column, and stared at it. "An ancient language, I think," I answered, "I've seen it before, looking for the golems."

I snapped a picture of the tablet, and then pushed it a bit. It was a solid block of granite and thus exceptionally heavy, but it moved a bit. "Not attached to the building, good," I whispered, and summoned Jiton.

My shiny Metagross floated just above the floor beneath us, and I tapped the slab, "Put it with the others please."

Cynthia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the slab, "How many do you have, sensei?"

Jiton glowed with psychic energy, and the slab levitated over to sit on top of his head. The moment the slab set down, Jiton levitated down the stairs and towards my Secret Base. "Enough to be vexed by them, but not enough to be able to translate them," I answered, "They're the key to the golems, I'm sure of it."

Just behind where the slab had been was were two conspicuous mounds of dirt. I leaned down, removed my faceplate, and blew air on them. Sand blew away to reveal rock in the shape of a claw. "A fossil," I mused, "those are handy."

Cynthia cleared the sand off the second mound, finding a root fossil. "Interesting, maybe, but useful?" she asked.

"There are places where they can clone fossilized pokemon, resurrecting them," I said with a grin, "Ambrette Town in Kalos had an entire zoo of resurrected pokemon. How did you think Diantha got her hands on a Tyrunt?"

I put my hands around the claw fossil, and pulled a bit. The entire tower shook. "Maybe we should leave them there," Cynthia proposed, "this whole place could come down on our heads."

I rolled my eyes, replaced my faceplate, and said, "Grab the other one, pull on three."

Apprehension painted on her face, Cynthia got low, and grasped the root fossil. "One," I warned.

"Please don't," she pleaded.

"Two," I whispered and got low like she was.

A deep sigh emerged from Cynthia. "Three!" I shouted and we both pulled.

The fossils came out free easily enough, but the tower rumbled loudly and wobbled dangerously. I pivoted off one foot, and ran through the wall into the air, Cynthia right behind me. "What about the others?" she shouted.

We landed and turned around. The top two floors of the tower were already crumbling, but Wikstrom and Diantha ran out of the bottom floor and over to us. "What happened?" Diantha demanded, "Was it that old?"

I brandished the claw fossil, and said, "Nah, we just found something cool."

"But we destroyed the tower!" Diantha exclaimed, "I thought we wanted to explore it!"

I shrugged, "Got what we needed, extracted valuable artifacts, and now nobody else can find it, even if they find the mirage," I explained, "Mission success."

I put my fossil in my pack and Cynthia followed suit. "Go team," I said with a grin they couldn't see.

"Whoo," Diantha grunted.

I wiggled my eyebrows at them and said, "And you know the best way to celebrate a successful mission?" I summoned Suiton, Mokuton, and Katon, "Pop Quiz!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, fuck," Cynthia murmured.

Wikstrom turned tail and bellowed, "Fire and Damnation!"

"Almost crushed by a giant sand tower," Diantha mused, "And next up I'll be beaten to a pulp because… I apparently did a good job."

Katon dashed at Wikstrom, but Wikstrom drew his sword and swung backwards in a horizontal arc. "I will not fall on this day!" Wikstrom declared and summoned Iron, his Scizor.

Suiton held back for a moment, and then sprayed a small pond's worth of water at Cynthia. Cynthia summoned her Lucario, Tribus, but that slowed her just enough that both of them where carried down a sand dune and into what became a sizable mud puddle.

Diantha slid summoned Beast, her Tyrantrum, but the giant pokemon wasn't able to get its bearings before Mokuton was already mid-attack. Giant roots wove their way around Beast, tightened, and then with the force of a piston, sprouted massive, wickedly sharp spikes. "Frenzy Plant?!" Diantha lamented, "Right out the gate?!"

Wikstrom charged Katon while Iron circled around, and then they came together for a pinching maneuver, but it was no dice. I flashed through a few handsigns, and transferred "Splash", one of the seven mist swords, to Katon. It was more of a giant roll of explosive tags than a sword, but the handle and weight of the thing made in an appropriate comparison. "Poor conduct!" Wikstrom cried.

With two quick swings, Wikstrom and Iron both found themselves with a layer of explosive tags on their persons. Wikstrom's blade fell to the sand in resignation just before the tags went off, leaving the blade nearby as he and Iron flew off in opposite directions.

Cynthia and Tribus pushed themselves out of the mud just in time for Sution to land on top of them. She held them under the mud, but Primus, Cynthia's Gabite breached the surface of the mud to deliver a vicious uppercut to Suiton's jaw.

The uppercut was enough to free Cynthia and Tribus, but had the side effect of really pissing Sution off. His anger bled into me, and I held out a hand at Primus, and a beam of ice shot from my fingertips to collide with the dragon/ground Pokémon.

Suiton grabbed Primus, now in a block of ice, and began to smash at Cynthia, who was barely keeping ahead of the blows. I turned to look for Diantha, who I thought was running towards Iron, but then I noticed Mokuton was right behind her, nipping at her ankles. She didn't notice Iron until she'd already tripped on him.

Wikstorm, his Aiegislash, Steel, summoned and being wielded, crashed into Mokuton, preventing an easy knock out, and then took a defensive stance. "Line!" he cried, "Establish a line!"

Katon and Mokuton began to circle him, and while he watched Katon, Steel watched Mokuton. Cynthia dashed into the circle to stand next to Wisktrom and pulled two tonfas out of her trench coat. Primus, still a block of ice, descended from the sky like mortar fire, but Tribus took the blow, saving Cynthia, Wikstrom, and Diantha.

Cynthia summoned Secondus, her Spiritomb, and Diantha summoned Princess, the Gardevoir. "Steady," Wikstrom muttered as Suiton joined the circle.

My Pokémon knew that when my three students were together, they stood a chance, but they were waiting for a sign of weakness. I decided to provide that. I slammed my hands to the ground, and water flowed from me, into the circle, messing with everyone's footing.

Mokuton's arm blades glowed green, and he dashed in with a Leaf Blade attack. Secondus and Princess never stood a chance, but Wikstrom parried, saving Steel. "Damn this Sorcery!" Wikstrom exclaimed, and Katon dropped a savage Blaze Kick on his head.

Wikstrom went down, while Cynthia and Diantha, close to their Pokémon as they were, were barely standing. Suiton manipulated the mud into a wave and bowled them over. As the mud settled, my three students and their Pokémon were revealed to be unconscious.

I pushed them out of the mud using the sand beneath them, and carried them out of the mire.

About an hour later, Diantha was the first to wake. She fidgeted, and groaned, "My ribs…."

I shrugged, and said, "You'll be fine."

She turned her head to glare at me, "Just because I'm a jinchuriki and I heal quickly doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

"How _is_ Chomei?" I asked.

Chomei was the given name of the Seven-tails… the demon spirit that I'd sealed inside Diantha. "He doesn't like this Mega-Evolution training," she sighed, "It's making him work."

"Mega-Evolution requires a tight bond with your Pokémon," I explained, "Nothing builds that bond like tough battles."

She subsided for a moment, and then asked, "Frenzy Plant? Really?"


	38. Chapter 38

Ch 38

Before I could return to the Hidden Sand or to my secret base, my team needed to recover. Wikstrom's burns were healing nicely, Diantha was back up on her feet of course, but was in the dumps about losing again, while Cynthia was brooding off by the outside of camp. I kept busy by using my portable berry blender to make pokeblocks, a kind of snack/ninja tool. Depending on what berries and powders you added, the blocks would assume different colors, and different colors did different things.

Blue pokeblocks facilitate chakra recovery, and while the dryness left your mouth a bit on the chalky side, they didn't taste bad. A batch of blue pokeblocks slid out of the blender, so I placed them into my pokeblock case and studied them. "Blue+," I murmured, "Oran berries don't disappoint."

Cynthia screamed in frustration behind me, pulling all of our attention to her. "What?" Diantha asked.

Cynthia stomped over to her, and said, "I'm tired of running into this brick wall! I want to be capable of Mega-Evolution already."

I shrugged, but Cynthia remained unsatisfied. "You mastered Mega-Evolution in how long? A month? A week?"

"Six months of rigorous training," I answered, "It was all Temari and I did for the first half of the year we spent in Kalos. You've got missions, ninja training, and grocery shopping… point is: this isn't an easy thing."

Cynthia dragged her hands down her face and fell backwards onto the sand dunes. "It's just starting to feel like an excuse. I'm tight with my pokemon. I can borrow their moves, even their forms, but I can't Mega-Evolve?"

"It's not about the bond between you and your pokemon, the first time," Wikstrom cut in, "It's about desperate need of pokemon and trainer, uniting and exploding into new heights of power. We're not strong enough to really push Lord Brendan to his limits, so how can he push us to ours?"

Diantha plopped down next to Cynthia and put an arm over her shoulder, "He just rolls over us, but if we keep fighting…."

"We'll gain experience," finished Cynthia, "because the only way to get stronger is to battle."

I smiled, and winked. "Just so. I don't doubt that you three will surpass me some day," I paused, "That's the goal, remember? Besides, soon we'll be able to train with Temari's team. Without you three to keep them from passing the Forest of Death, they'll pass with flying colors."

The three of them smiled at the memory. In the Hidden Stone's Demon Canyon, my team identified Temari's team, and attacked in the middle of the night. Cynthia turned Siebold and Malva against each other while Diantha and Wikstrom brought down the mighty Drasna.

Even better, Temari lost the bet, and had to buy them dinner in the best restaurant in the Sand Village. Cynthia grinned and punched her hands together. "If they don't win… I'll kick their asses."

"Verily," Wikstrom said darkly.

Diantha nodded, but then said, "They'll be looking for revenge. We've got to work on our combos, and I wouldn't be surprised if they came at us at night."

I chuckled, "Oh, come on, they're Temari's students…" I paused, "They'll poison your dinners."

We shared a chuckle, and an amicable silence took over. Five minutes in, Jiton, legs up to facilitate levitation, crested the nearest sand dune, to land next to me. Its eyes glowed red, and projected the image of a mousey woman, with long, brown hair in two pigtails, a pair of specs and a green apron. Her mouth moved, and a gravelly voice emerged from Jiton, "Interesting artifact. We still can't translate it. Maybe we know someone who collects other… artifacts."

"Lanette… she knows that these psychic recordings can't be intercepted, right?" Cynthia asked.

"I think she likes to play spy," Diantha mused.

I shrugged, "If it makes her happy and it doesn't hurt us…"

"Which of our acquaintances keeps ancient languages?" Wikstrom asked, "Do we have any friends with archeological dispositions?"

"President Stone," Cynthia murmered, "He likes fossils. Maybe he's come across something like this language."

I leaned back onto the sand, and considered the starry sky. "This conversation would need to happen face to face," I said, "I'd prefer not to meet him face to face."

"Why not?" Diantha asked, "he's our friend, right?"

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at me, and everyone waited. "President Stone is the father of my old sensei. I'd rather not have to talk to _him_." I said.

I'd never told them about Steven-sensei. It was like a past life. An age ago. Why bother talking about a problem that was beyond fixing? The wound had been deep, but it healed well enough. Diantha's eyes glinted mischievously. "We've got the fossils, and the need to talk to them. We have to do it. For the village."

"And if we get to meet your old sensei along the way…" Cynthia supposed.

"Well," Wikstrom cleared his throat, "Not all tragedies are preventable."

I rolled my eyes, and Cynthia offered me her hand. I took it, and she pulled me up. "We headed to Rusburo?" she asked.

"Fallarbor is closer," I answered, and started towards the north, "and I hear they're making good progress. I'd put money on him being in the area to oversee it."

My chunin climbed onto Jiton, who kept pace behind me. On the northern border of the Land of Wind, Devon had built a new city: Fallarbor. The settlement was in the middle of a desert, literally the middle of butt-fuck nowhere, between sand dunes. It didn't even have a river. That was the point, however.

Fallarbor was founded to see if Pokémon could make an environment hospitable, even when the environment was sand and heat. Water Pokémon had been called in to make a reservoir of water, and then connect that reservoir to the nearest river to the west, near the Land of Rain. By the initial reservoir, grass Pokémon began to grow small plants, and ground Pokémon turned those plants and sand into decent soil.

The soil was red, and while it was never made clear to me why that was, the soil was undeniably rich. Only a year after its founding, Fallarbor was a green and red oasis. Diantha shuddered at the sight of it. "Remember when we had to clear out the Trapinch?" she asked.

"Most vile of vermin when they are young," Wikstrom assented, "hard to imagine they can evolve into such noble beasts as Flygon."

Jiton tilted, upending my chunin, and I returned him to his scroll. While my students un-piled themselves, a sight which brought me some amusement, I strode into town. Two women in business suits were waiting at the edge of town to greet me. "Brendan of the Sand," they said with a bow, "Devon is always happy to see you. Is this about your special order?"

"It's perfect," I said, and walked into town, "why?"

"Rustburo alerted us that Junpei of the Sand didn't come on his usual day," the second woman said, "we were a bit worried."

"Junpei… won't be stopping by anymore," I whispered, "for classified reasons. I'd like to talk to President Stone, if you don't mind. I'll talk to him for you?"

"How did you know that President Stone was here?" the first woman asked.

"Lucky guess," I said with a chuckle.

Devon had built a tent in Fallarbor at first, but the success of the project's fauna led them to building a larger, more permanent structure. For Devon, that meant a skyscraper, even in the middle of the desert. Next to it was one of my contest halls, but I walked right by that, and into the Devon building.

A veritable army of contractors, trainers, engineers, and scientists, all in business formal of course, waved me through the building to the central elevator. I held the elevator for my chunin, who followed me at a trot with gaping mouths. As the elevator went up, Cynthia whispered, "This was a tent six months ago."

I chuckled, "You should see Slateport now, three years ago it was impressive, but now it's… sprawling isn't enough of a word."

"Calling it New Castelia, aren't they?" Cynthia asked.

"Nothing compares to Lumiose City," Diantha whispered.

I sighed at the memory of that metropolis. "That's a hard city _to_ beat. It was a bit hard to get around, but the cafes… oh the cafes…"

Diantha beamed, "And boutique coture?"

"Exquisite," I sighed, "No beating it."

"Who are you?" Cynthia asked, "And what have you done with my grumpy, sarcastic, sensei?"

"Lumiose could calm the furies of a tempest," Wikstrom assured her, "Not even our master could rage in the City of Light."

Cynthia grunted, "Sinnoh has Mt. Coronet. Natural beauty left me speechless. Ancient ruins too. Place was crazy."

The elevator opened, and I walked out, but not before Diantha could quip, "But it didn't have a café, did it? I think not."

I shushed them, and we went across the room to the desk of President Stone. He had a few more wrinkles, his hair was a bit more grey than blue, but his eyes still glimmered with intelligence. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

I flipped open my pokenav, and showed him a picture of the ancient writing. "I'm hoping you might have an artifact like this one. I've got a few fossils you'd love, if we could barter."

President stone stared at the photo, and held out his hands, so I handed him my device. He zoomed on the photo, and hummed. "I recognize this," he said, "I found it on a tablet while I was spelunking in the Land of Stone. Is this all you found of the tablet?"

"It was a solid piece of stone, totally unbroken," I answered.

President Stone's eyes widened, and then he handed me back my pokenav. "I thought they were a form of decoration. They surrounded an older version of Elemental Nation characters. You've got yourself a mystery, Brendan, my dear boy."

I pulled out the claw fossil, and Cynthia the root fossil. President Stone groaned at the sight of them. "Steven will be so cross with me for trading it without consulting him, but I've almost assembled an entire Anorith and Lileep."

"We got a deal?" I asked.

President Stone sighed, and pulled a tablet/computer out from his desk. "Lanette wanted me to test her new teleportation tech anyway. I'll see that it's sent to her at whatever undisclosed location you have her working in."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not still mad about that, are you?"

An eyebrow climbed up the President's forehead. "You poached my foremost researcher on teleportation for your shadow/ninja work. Bad enough I lost my son to that nonsense."

"Without ninja/trainers," I insisted, "You'd be out of the job."

He nodded his head in agreement. "I can't really be that mad, can I?"

I put my fossil on his desk and offered out my hand. We shook, and President Stone asked, "Don't suppose I could convince you to stick around, could I? Steven would love to see you."

I shook my head, "I've got a world to save," then I pointed over my shoulders at my chunin, "and monkeys to raise."

President Stone smiled sadly, but didn't stop me when I turned to walk away. Before I reached the elevator I turned my head over my shoulder and shouted, "Tell Steven-sensei… tell him I said "Hi.""

As the elevator's doors closed, Diantha whispered, "Your sensei was Steven Stone?"

"Champion of the Elemental Nations?" Cynthia asked.

"Steven of the Steel Resolve?" Wikstrom inquired.

"That Steven?!" Diantha demanded.

"Yeah," I muttered, "And I'm pretty sure he's still disappointed I defected. Don't need that guilt trip."

The rest of the elevator ride was silent. I hadn't told them about my defection, but everybody knew the story. The Sand called it the score of the century, and the Leaf called it the mistake of the millennia.

Once we were outside, Wikstrom asked, "Which direction now, my master?"

"Secret Base," I said, and we headed along Fallarbor's growing river for a time to the East, and out of the Land of Wind, towards the Land of Waterfalls.


	39. Chapter 39

Ch 39

The Land of Waterfalls is, perhaps obviously, characterized by its many waterfalls. The land itself, is perched amongst the mountains that border the Land of Stone and Land of Iron, and it's crisscrossed by rivers. These rivers come from both the Land of Stone, and Land of Iron, and through a series of waterfalls, travel down the mountains, and into a giant, fertile valley characterized by a ravine that collects all that water and feeds it to one giant river that goes off one giant waterfall before winding through the Land of Fire.

What most people don't know is that these waterfalls conceal caves, made by Hidden Waterfall ninja, which all lead to a network of tunnels that run underneath the entirety of the Land of Waterfalls. All those tunnels connect in a giant, manmade cavern beneath the giant ravine in the center of the Land: The village Hidden Behind the Waterfalls. The village was designed for guerilla warfare, in fact, the Hidden Waterfall ninja had proven unconquerable. However, because they had only ever won defensive battles, they could never get the funding to be an offensive power, and as such, the Hidden Waterfall kept to themselves, so when they went silent… nobody even noticed.

My team and I leapt through the first waterfall we came across, and landed in a tunnel. The lack of ninja to patrol the tunnels meant I'd used the best of Devon's technology to trap the hell out of the tunnels. If the chakra scans found someone who wasn't a "friendly," then they were considered an "unfriendly" and were subjected to moving floors, glitter bombs, and spikes _if they were lucky_.

"Go on ahead," I said, and stood at the entrance for a moment.

Cynthia and Wikstrom nodded and ran down the tunnels, but Diantha stopped short. I fiddled with a control by the entrance, "Go on, just checking the security."

The look of pity sent a pang through my heart. "Go," I insisted, "I'm just taking a moment."

Diantha closed her eyes, and breathed out. When her eyes opened, the glowed with orange chakra. "Guilty conscience?" Chomei, the demon within Diantha, asked, "Over all you've murdered, Demon Hidden in the Sand?"

"They attacked me," I spat, "I pity the dead."

"You killed them in _droves_ ," Chomei countered, "You could have stopped the slaughter."

"They let Fuu die!" I exclaimed, "They practically handed her over to the Akatsuki! They got what they deserved."

"Which is it?" Chomei asked, "Did you have to kill them, or did you want to?"

Chomei closed Diantha's eyes, and when she opened them, my apprentice was back. "I'm sorry," she said, "He said he wanted to comfort you."

I punched the wall, and broke the control panel. "How did someone as bright and happy as Fuu get along with that sadistic bastard?"

Diantha sighed, "She brought out the best in him. I'm trying to live up to her legacy, I swear."

I took a deep breath, and then said, "I know you are. I'm proud of you, really. Just pissed that he can get under my skin so easily."

"Do you want to talk about it, Brendan-sensei?" she asked.

The honorific gave me pause, "Who are you, and what did you do with Diantha?"

She smiled faintly, and kicked at the stone beneath her with her right foot, "We walk a dark path in this ninja world. You should talk to somebody, even if it isn't me."

Without another word, or looking back, Diantha ran down into my secret base. I followed. The ceiling of my base was some sort of crystal that I had never found the match to. It was clear like glass, but harder than diamond, and with a few pillars, held up the entire ravine. The sun filtered in through the water, lighting the village during the day, and you could even count the stars at night, but from above the ravine, all you could see was sand at the bottom. If you swam down to the bottom, you could only barely see that something wasn't right.

Most of the houses in the village were just trap clusters, for the stupid, but in the center of the village was the fort that had housed the late leader of the village, which I'd taken for my own. The fort was constructed like a snake, coiled around itself, with a door every fifteen feet. Each fifteen foot section hallway could be filled with water or emptied of air as desirable, and led to a final, circular chamber, which served as a nerve center to the entire Land of Waterfalls.

Diantha began meditating next to Wikstrom, while Cynthia looked over Lanette's shoulder as my tech genius worked her magic. I'd converted the fort into a lab for Lanette when I recruited her about a month before, and she'd covered the walls with charts, diagrams, and all the tech she could pilfer from Devon along with some contraptions I'd been made to purchase from Devon and Sliph respectively.

Lanette had eschewed her usual apron for a lab coat and called, "Clear!"

She reached above her head to pull a giant lever, and light flashed in front of her, and then light flashed to my right. I rolled to the left, and came face to face with a plushy clefairy doll. "What just happened?" I demanded.

"Perfection!" Lanette exclaimed, "Bill said it could not be done, but I've teleported something _without_ a teleportation chamber! That kanto-dwelling, chauvinistic, hillbilly can suck my dick!"

"He'll just say that you never could have done it without his initial teleporter chamber," Cynthia mused.

Lanette turned to face Cynthia, and pushed her glasses up her nose with her middle finger. "He. Can. Suck. My. Dick."

I picked the clefairy doll up, and saw a tiny disc that glowed with a blue circle underneath it on the floor. "Well done," I said, paused, and then asked, "Do you have a dick for him to suck?"

She grinned at me, and said, "I'll teleport a dildo to his shack with a post-it identifying it as my dick."

Cynthia clapped politely, and I chuckled. "Make it so!"

Lanette turned back to her teleportation disc, and snatched it off her desk. "Now to make it bigger. And for human trials."

"Don't forget President Stone's shipment," I interjected before her list of tasks could continue to grow.

Lanette narrowed her eyes at the disc in her hands. "Right. I need to make it bigger first, then."

"How's everything else?" I asked.

Lanette sat down at her work bench, and said, "I want to get out of this fort. I'm thinking of knocking down a few of the surrounding huts and building an actual lab. Maybe even a few interns."

I waved the disc at her, "Teleport them in from the Hidden Sand, but make sure they can't explore."

She grinned, perhaps a bit menacingly, and asked, "When can I start?"

"After you get me my package," I pointed at her, "It involves the golems. I need it. How's the network?"

Without a word, Lanette spun around ant tapped what I thought to be a stone wall behind her. A digital map of the Elemental Nations flashed into existence. "I like the monitor," I said, "What is it?"

Three red dots appeared in the Land of Stone, two red dots appeared in the Land of Water and two green dots popped up on the Land of Lightning. "I got tired of keeping an actual map going, so I created a digital copy of all your network missions. Red is missions in progress, green are successes, and yellow are failures."

She touched the monitor, and flicked it right, revealing a roster of all my spies, willing on the right, and sleepers on the left. "Wow," I whistled, "Can anybody see this?"

"This monitor is the only copy," Lanette insisted, "and I've made sure it isn't networked anywhere or wifi-capable. I'll come back in here to manage it. Speaking of: Aarune and Lisia are here for you. I set them up in the guest house."

I nodded, and made my way out of the fort. The ring of houses just outside the fort were made up for guest habitation of my network or for myself if I stayed overnight. Only one had the lights on though.

I knocked, waited a moment, and then walked in. Aarune was splayed out on a couch, per usual, his hat covering his face, asleep. He had been a poke-ranger when I found him surrounded by Team Magma grunts, and he'd kept most of the uniform after I saved him, but had modified the sleeves and pants, maybe with a hacksaw based on the cuts, to be shorter. "Don't mind Aarune!" a sing-song voice came from the kitchen, "He's been all over the Land of Iron, and he's all tuckered out."

I walked past the couch to the kitchen, and came face to face with Lisia. She wore a white v-neck shirt and a pair of blue compression shorts, with her hair tied back into a lazy pony tail. The smell of chicken and teriyaki sauce was wafting through the kitchen. "How are ya Brendan?" she asked "Missions going well?"

"Making headway," I said, and sat down at the kitchen table, "Weren't you two supposed to be in the Land of Lightning?"

Lisia rolled her eyes, "You know that Aarune. He loves to get side-tracked. The contests were okay, but I still managed to find some talent."

I motioned for her to continue, and Lisia turned back to the stove. "There's this kid named Riley, right? Fantastic trainer from Sinnoh. His Lucario wasn't able to measure up in the contest, but it rolled through my party afterwards. I sent him to Fallarbor for a contest rematch. I'll recruit him there."

"Should I send Cynthia instead?" I asked, "She may be better for that assignment."

Lisia tilted her head and hummed, "I was actually thinking Kankuro. Riley is scary strong."

I stifled a chuckle. "What?" Lisia demanded.

"You just want to see Kankuro," I insisted, "but I'm not sure I can take another day of you two flirting."

Lisia glared at me, grabbed rice from the rice cooker, and tossed it into the wok she was working with. "You haven't seen the new outfit I've got for contests. He'd be nuts not to ask me out after seeing it."

My stifled giggling turned into an outright chuckle. "You don't know Kankuro. You might want to try asking him out. He'll never do it."

Lisia grumbled at her chicken. "I just might…"

"You two ladies mind me gossipin' next?" I turned see Aarune wiping the sleep out of his eyes, "cause baby do I got some good shit for ya."

"In the Land of Iron?" I asked, "What use is that?"

Aarune widened his eyes and grinned, "Those samurai are usin' chakra. No ninjutsu, but I know a chakra blade when I see one."

I rolled my eyes. "and I've seen a wailmer swimming through the sand outside the village."

Aarune pulled out his pokenav, and showed me a video of fifty samurai going through blade forms in the snow. Each had two giant chakra blades. "Fuuuck." I whispered.

Then Aarune flicked right, and the picture of a snowy, dilapidated temple showed up, "Also found this," he flicked the picture again, revealing the ancient circle writing I'd been struggling to decipher.

"This is why I pay you so much Aarune," I marveled, "I need you to search that place, and take pictures of all of those dot formations. And show me your purposed secret base."

Aarune smiled, "I didn't tell you about a secret base."

"You always find secret bases," I snorted, "don't play with my emotions."

He flicked the pictures left quickly, and showed me a snowy cavern. "Three entrances, regularly covered by snowfall. I can put up false walls… the usual traps. Easily defended and abandoned. What do you think?"

"It sounds dangerous," Lisia mused, "Of course he likes it."

"I'll survey my apprentices," I said, "Tell you which one I want managing it."

Lisia gasped, "When did they make Chunin? Have I been gone that long? Does Cynthia have a Garchomp yet? Is Wikstrom still talking all funny? What about Diantha-?"

I cut my hand through the air. "You can go talk to them, if you like. Come with me."

Lisia, Aarune, and I left the guest house, and moved through the village to its southern end. One of the caves didn't lead up, but deeper into the earth, where they had found a grotto with a mystical waterfall that revealed a person's true self. Fuu had told me that it was in front of this waterfall that she'd learned to control her beast, and so that was where I knew I could find Diantha.

Wherever Diantha went, Wikstrom would follow, and Cynthia, though she would never admit it, cared too much about Diantha to leave her by the waterfall, which was so emotionally taxing she came out of meditations a different, more angry, person.

As we approached the waterfall, Wikstrom nodded to us, before resuming his own, less perilous mediations, and Cynthia stepped into our path. "She's been under for ten minutes. New record. What is it?"

I peered over Cynthia's shoulder to see a serene look on Diantha's face on her reflection in the waterfall. "You and I are going with Aarune. Lisia will stay here with Wikstrom and Diantha."

I turned on my heel, and Aarune and Cynthia fell into step. When we got back into the village proper, we crossed the village, and exited to the east. "Where are we going?" Cynthia asked.

Aarune chuckled, "Get ready for a whole new world of secrets and intrigue. You're about to get a Secret Base!"

Cynthia gasped, "Really? No wait… seriously?! Am I going to get spies?"

When we reached the surface, I reached into my bag and handed her a scroll containing the Akastuki's sleeper jutsu. "Learn the signs. Read the description. Burn it."


	40. Chapter 40

Ch 40

The secret base Aarune found was quite the steal. The dust on the cave floor had water trails from melting snow that were undisturbed, meaning we knew it was not a cavern frequented by the local samurai, and so we dug in. Cynthia set up the teleport disc, and Lanette began to send her all manner of traps, which she would then set up. Aarune set up secret doors with false walls to keep out intruders, and I left them to it.

Just to the north was a giant temple, shrouded in snow. The dots decorated every conceivable space, writing in perfectly spaced squares that left no corner uncarved, or pillar undecorated. Gigantic stone columns, carved of single stones that could not have occurred naturally in the Land of Iron kept up a four story high ceiling that as mere stone should have shattered the columns just by being there, but somehow they were able to hold up the weight of the stone _and_ the weight of the veritable mountain of snow above that, and there wasn't a crack to be seen.

Hallways zigzagged off of the main chamber in every direction, but I kept going straight ahead. Something was wrong about this place, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It had to do with the writing, everywhere. It seemed less ancient riddle now, and more the ravings of a cult, or even a very powerful, but singular madman. When I got into the hallway, the walls seemed to press in on me, so I was left walking like I expected the walls to sprout hands and punch me on the arms.

I'd thought the first chamber was the main chamber, but I was wrong. Through the hallway I'd chosen, was a second chamber, grander in size than the first, with proportionally larger circles. In what had become dim light, I could not even see the full length of the room, but surely the chamber was the size of a very large town, if not a small city.

I reached into my bag, and pulled out a flashlight. The first thing I found, straight ahead of me, was a giant statue. There was no mistaking the seven dots for eyes, rows of gems that corresponded to the three golems, or the gigantic, cylindrical arms and legs. This was a statue of Regigigas.

Mouth agape, I reached out and touched the stone, which thrummed with power. Instinct took over, and I yanked my hand back, however, quickly my curiosity got the better of me, and I reached out again. I'd seen a lot of interesting rocks. Rocks that were imbued with special power that caused Pokémon to evolve, rocks that sparkled with such light that men killed over them, and of course Rock Pokémon, which were alive.

This rock felt like it was alive, but asleep, which meant that it was no mere statue. This was the Colossal Pokémon itself… Regigigas in the flesh, so to speak. However, it was asleep, and I got the feeling that even if I wanted it awake, I couldn't do it. If someone had invented a language about the Regis, I doubted that waking them would be so easy as touching them, or any accidental action.

The forgotten champion and his Elite Four had wrested the Regis from the Sand village, and I was closer than anybody had been, but that didn't mean I was anywhere near my goal. If you get all the legendary Pokémon, you win the legendary Pokémon war. I rapped my knuckles against Regigigas' stone form. "I'm coming for you," I whispered, and left the temple.

When I returned to Cynthia's base, Aarune moved a false wall to let me in, and I continued past him to the center of the cave. Lanette stood on a teleportation disc. "Human trials… successful," she mused, and then picked at a few strands of her hair, "a little crispy, but no worse for wear."

"The nearby temple is _covered_ in that writing," I interjected, "I need that stone translated. Now."

Lanette nodded, "I've got a computer program on it, and I'll be right back to direct the process myself. I came here to tell you that one of your High Priority targets just surfaced: Raiga Kurosuki, in the Land of Grass."

All thoughts of Regigigas dropped away. "What?"

"Suigetsu left a note around a nameless village on the western border," Lanette responded, "Raiga took the village by storm and started training the peasants to fight like ninja. He's getting ready for you to come for him."

"So was Kushimaru," I whispered, "and Raiga will be just as dead, very soon."

"Who's Raiga?" concern written on Aarune's face.

"Can you handle everything here?" I demanded, motioned for Cynthia, and moved towards the eastern exit.

Cynthia and Aarune fell into step, and Aarune cleared his throat nervously. "You're all steely eyed again boss man. You know that makes me nervous. Cynthia should stay here to fix her base up herself."

"Send her your plans," I retorted, "I trust you, she trusts you, and we've got killing to do."

Aarune nodded and turned back to the center of the cave to get back to work. Cynthia and I left her base, and sprinted out into a flurry of snow. We sprinted south, and into the Land of Fire. The moment we crossed the border, and ANBU squad began to tail us.

The captain, identified by his tan cloak, leapt into our path, "You're not samurai," he stated, "Why are you in the Land of Fire?"

I reached into my pack, and pulled out my Hidden Sand ANBU mask. "On a covert mission for Kazekage. Moving into the Land of Grass. Get out of my hair, and I'll get out of yours."

He eyed the mask, nodded his head, and stepped to the side, so I ran by, Cynthia close behind me. About a mile past them, I put the mask away, and Cynthia sighed with relief. "I didn't know you were black ops, sensei."

I snorted, "You're black ops in training. You think all sand chunin are taught sleeper cell jutsu?"

She shrugged, "I've only ever had one sensei."

With a little flourish, I summoned Jiton and hopped onto his head, motioning for Cynthia to do the same, "This ain't normal."

Cynthia hopped on, and Jiton took off, racing over the growing forest, and towards the southern border of the Land of Grass. The Land of Grass was characterized by the same rivers that ran through the Land of Waterfalls, but with less Waterfalls and more plateaus, creating a picturesque countryside that was more grass than rock.

No sooner than the forest had arrived, it bled away, and we raced along the lush meadows of the Land of Grass. Jiton slowed, and I leapt off, Cynthia tailing me. I recalled Jiton to his pokescroll, and performed a transformation jutsu, turning into a Grass jonin. Cynthia followed suit, and so nobody even blinked as we "patrolled" the western border of the country.

That was what was so great about Cynthia. I didn't have to say anything, she just _got_ it. No remedial lessons or spoon feeding her. Everything was always clicking with her.

About five miles into our renewed run, we came across four dead or dying Hidden Grass jonin. "Don't go in!" one shouted, and then gasped in pain, "That maniac is cutting through us like we were _nothing_."

I stopped, and walked over to the survivor. His leg was just gone beneath the knee, his guts were being held in by his hands, and he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He didn't have long. "Who?" I asked.

The ninja gave me a look, and then threw a shuriken loaded with chakra at me. I ducked, but the shuriken pulled my disguise away with it as it flew over my shoulder. The dying ninja's eyes widened. "The Demon Hidden in the Sand," he gasped, "Raiga is getting ready for _you_?! Why in our country?"

"He can kill you, but you can't kill him," Cynthia explained, "He's a psychopath. We're here to stop him."

"You're welcome," I added.

"Raiga is slaughtering our ninja and our people to attract your attention!" the ninja lost his grip of his guts, and some spilled out, silencing him with pain for a moment, "This is your fault."

"Ask the village he buried alive in the Land of Rivers how he could have known about me before I knew about him," I countered, "Raiga is a plague on this world."

"Then you should have killed him in the Land of Rivers…" the ninja was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"And maybe if you had worked as hard to defend your home as you did to put the blame on me," I snarled, "You wouldn't be bleeding out."

I took the man's face, and resumed my run. About another mile up, just over the lip of a great plateau, was a valley and inside that valley was a village on fire, or so I thought at first glance. Another look revealed forges, making weapons. Peasants drilled themselves, and went through sword forms with clumsy movements and total apprehension. Throughout the village were ninja in black cloaks with giant metal claws hanging in their fists, slashing people at random. "Oh my god…" Cynthia gasped.

I summoned Suiton, and said, "Get Primus out here."

Cynthia summoned Primus, her Gabite, and pulled out her facemask, which had go-goggles welded onto them. As she tightened her mask onto her face, I crouched low, and pushed my chakra into the earth. Suiton did the same, and we began to move around the earth below the village.

Unless they had somebody who used earth techniques, they wouldn't notice it, and no alarm sounded. Cynthia and Primus added their chakra, and soon we had enough sand to bury the village in a few feet. I tapped the ground, and said, "Wait for my signal."

Primus dove into the earth, and Cynthia followed in the tunnel he left behind himself. Suiton traced their path underneath the village, and continued to churn the sand. I grabbed the sand, and pulled it up, the earth cracking open and erupting with streams of sand. Primus took over, manipulating the sand into a swirling vortex, blinding everyone, so Suiton and I dove in.

I summoned the Executioner's Blade when I landed, and cut down the first man in a cloak I saw. His scream attracted his friends, who ran with their claws ready to swing down at the slightest sign of life, but they couldn't see farther than a foot in front of them, I could, and my blade was six feet long.

One horizontal swipe sheared four men in half, and disemboweled a fifth. Suiton used the sand in the air to scoop up villagers and throw them out of the storm like a pitching machine. They would land poorly, but they wouldn't be in my way, which is considerate of me, if you think about it.

Deep below the village, Cynthia had assumed all duties of manipulating the sand, so Primus swam up to join the fray. His fin cut through the surface of the earth like a normal shark did the water, and hell, Primus would even breach like a shark, but Primus didn't chomp down on the first person he saw. He would use his arm-blades to maim the first two enemies he saw, and then go for the jugular of the third, ripping it out in passing, to return to the earth.

Primus and I assured that blood began to mingle with the sand swirling through the air. I worked my way to the center of the village, and then skirted around the mayor's hut, cleaving every black cloak I encountered. Suiton manipulated the sand to redirect Primus the other direction, and we waited.

The air had become thick with crimson sand, and that was when Raiga emerged from the mayor's hut. He bore the scars of our last conflict, one of his eyes gone, as well as his left arm, but he still held _Kiba_ , the thunder fangs of the Hidden Mist, coupled at the hilt, in his right. "I've been waiting to give you a proper funeral, Sand Demon," he spat, "I thought it was too bad that you killed Zabuza, but now I find myself intrigued at the prospect of killing his second coming."

"How's the leg?" I hissed.

Raiga laughed like it was the first joke he'd ever heard, and spat, "Who needs toes?!"

Suiton leapt high, and brought his fist down to bear, but Raiga stepped to the side just in time. "You're not the only one who's been training…" Raiga hissed, "I'll show you my new tricks!"

Raiga grinned, fell to his knees, and water cascaded out of him from his every pore. He filled the entire valley like it had only ever been a lake, and at the bottom of this new lake, Raiga pointed Kiba at me. I pulled sand up just in time to block the brunt of the lightning headed for me.

My muscles screamed and they shredded and tore themselves in spasms, but I didn't die. However, while I wasn't dead, I wasn't capable of moving either. Cynthia and Primus, however, moved fast, and blindsided the missing-nin.

Suiton grabbed me and swam with such force he breached the surface of the lake and landed on the nearby plateau/now beach. Cynthia wasn't far behind. She ripped off my facemask and shoved a blue pokeblock down my throat.

The pain went down immediately. I sat up just in time to see Raiga breach the water, Primus in one hand, and Kiba in his teeth. Cynthia stood up, and shouted, "If you try to touch my sensei… I'll kill you!"

Primus' eyes shot open, and his body glowed, evolving into a massive Garchomp. Raiga's mouth fell open, and Kiba fell to the ground. Suiton delivered a savage gut-punch, and chased Raiga into the water. I hurled the Executioner's Blade after him, and stood up. "Sensei, don't!" Cynthia admonished, "I've got this."

"You shouldn't have to," I strained, and summoned Nuibari, the sewing needle sword.

I dove into the water, and reached through my bond to Suiton. Raiga was evading detection in the village huts, but we had a solution to that. I pulled my mega-bracelet from my pack, clipped it over my wrist, and touched the stone.

Suiton and I synced chakra, I touched the stone, and all our power collected in Suiton, pushing her into Mega-Evolution. For a split second, I couldn't move, but then our shared energy crashed back from Suiton into me.

My Pokémon pulled the Executioner's Blade out of the village floor, and swiped savagely in a horizontal attack, and the houses in front of her were hit with such water pressure they disintegrated. Raiga was carried by the resulting underwater wave into the plateau wall.

I swam in, and before he could recover, I sewed his legs together and sliced his right arm off. Raiga screamed, and water began to fill his lungs, so Suiton began to absorb the water and turn it into chakra.

In under a minute the water was gone, and I held the Nuibari to Raiga's throat. "Where's the user scroll?" I demanded, "You wouldn't leave the Mist without it."

Raiga gritted his teeth, and pushed his neck against Nuibari's neck. "Or you'll what? Kill me?"

I grabbed his hair, and looked into his eyes, sealing Nuibari back onto my back tattoo. "No," I explained, matter-of-factly, "I'll keep you alive, but wishing I'd kill you."

Raiga spat in my face. "I grew up in the village of Bloody Mist. You don't scare me. I survived two inquisitions."

I leaned in to whisper in his ear. "That sociopath Jinpachi Munachi lasted for three months. When I finally killed him, he lost his other eye, his teeth, each section of his fingers individually, and he was so covered in burns that his own mother couldn't have recognized him."

"Jinpachi was the son of a whore!" Raiga cackled, "She wouldn't have been able to recognize him with _both_ eyes!"

"What about Ranmaru?" I asked. "I've kept him close, and he's happy, but that can change."

Ranmaru was dead, his disease had taken him soon after Raiga had abandoned him to me, but Raiga didn't need to know that. "Ranmaru is still alive?" Raiga asked, agape, "Why didn't he return to me?"

Better to let Raiga create his own nightmare. "Why do you think, Raiga?" I said with a chuckle.

Whatever emotional blow Raiga imagined was worse than anything I could hope to deliver. "Now… do you give me the scroll, or do I drag Ranmaru here, and kill him in front of your crippled ass?"

"You're… you're every bit the bastard that Norman said," Raiga whispered.

My father had sent a lot of his attack dogs after me. Some tried diplomacy, others force, but Raiga was a new phenomenon. Was the Foundation co-operating with missing-nin? I couldn't see him doing anything other than using Raiga, which meant that his people were watching, and they knew I had Raiga, and that their strategy almost worked.

I shouted over my shoulder, "Bring me the Kiba! Now, Cynthia!"

She landed next to me, Primus soon after that, and said, "We're not alone."

I pointed the Kiba into Raiga's neck, and shocked him. "I bet. Our friend is working with the Foundation. You gonna give me what I need?"

Raiga sagged into the stone, and threw up a lightning blue scroll. I picked it up delicately, and handed it to Suiton, who swallowed it to keep it safe. I recalled Suiton, and the Mega-Evolution faded. "Give me a good funeral?" he asked.

I drove Kiba into his skull and snarled, "You can die in the mud. It's no less than you deserve."

Cynthia spat on him, and nodded to me. "Bastard."

A familiar ANBU captain landed next to me, and threw back his hood, revealing a monkey mask and familiar green, spikey hair. "Wally," I grunted, "How's the village?"

Wally removed the mask, and gave me his best, emotionally absent, post-foundation indoctrination smile. "Great," he asked, "Could I have the Kiba swords? For old time's sake?"

"Fuck off Wally," I growled, "or you'll end up like that Sai guy."

Wally chuckled, "So you're the one who murdered Sai, Foo, and Torune?"

"I will neither confirm nor deny that," I retorted, "but I know they were found in Kalos, Shalor City, right? Why would Foundation operatives be that far away from home?"

"They went off book," he supplied, "trying to avenge Danzo's reputation or such foolishness. The foundation harbors no grudges for their deaths. If anything we owe you a favor. Care for a pardon, in return for your return to the village?"

I snorted, "Riiight. Seriously though, fuck off."

I leapt up onto the plateau wall, and ran up the wall, Cynthia and Primus in tow. When we crested the top, Cynthia whispered, "Who is that guy?"

I turned towards the Land of Waterfalls, and declared, "We'll lose him levitating over the mountains."

"So we don't like him," Cynthia decided, "Because sometimes it's hard to tell with you and your tough-guy exterior."

We ran, and Wally followed. Cynthia recalled Primus, looked over her shoulder, and asked, "Seriously… who is this guy?"

I summoned Jiton, and hopped on again, Cynthia jumped on behind me. Just before we left Wally in our dust, I said, "Wally and I used to train under Steven-sensei."

Cynthia's eye brows climbed up her forehead. "You were on a three man squad trained by Steven Stone? Your fellow apprentice is black-ops too? Who's the third person? A gym leader?"

"She's dead," I said curtly, "Let's forget about that soulless, perfidious, husk of my friend and get back to base, kay?"

It was blessedly quiet for a bit. "Is that why you're such a hard-ass? Why you defected?"

Water rushed to my eyes, unbidden. "What would you do if you figured out I held you back in your training, so you weren't strong enough to save Diantha?"

Cynthia didn't have a response, so I continued, "And then Wikstrom went to go train with your grandmother."

"My grandmother is absolutely vile," Cynthia whispered, "Wikstrom would never work with that murderous zealot."

"I never thought Wally would work with my father, but there it is," I whispered, "So it's not the tough guy act there… I can't stand to look at him, okay?"

"I'm- I'm sorry I brought it up," Cynthia murmured.

I shook my head and fought the tears back down. "You're the only one who'd get it anyway. Don't worry about it."


	41. Chapter 41

Ch 41

Upon returning to base, Cynthia teleported back to her secret base via teleporter to work, and I examined my new blades. The way the metal had been forged pointed to them being best able to manipulate chakra into the lightning element, and upon a brief flash of chakra without the lightning nature, I noticed the blade actually converted any kind of chakra into lightning.

The Kiba were forged with odd fangs which cut the air in such a way that caused the air to separate in odd ways, generating differences in air pressure. The scroll, however, revealed the secret to the design. When charged with lightning chakra, the blades would shear the atmosphere itself, causing lightning bolts. Raiton would love it.

I decided to see Lanette about adding it to my tattoos, and went towards the nerve center. A line of machokes, however, blocked the entrance, moving a giant computer console out. "Uh, Lanette?" I asked, "Since when do you train Machokes? Aren't you supposed to be translating the tablet?"

The two pokemon wiggled the console through the door, and Lanette followed them out. "Just setting up my new lab while the program generates the language matrix. Another hour before we can read it, and it's all computer," she explained, "And I've trained these two since the last time I had a warehouse job."

I stared at the fighting pokemon, shook my head, and then turned back to her. "I need your artistic sensibilities," I said, and showed her the Kiba blades.

A maniacal smile stretched over Lanette's face, she reached into her apron, and pulled out her tattoo gun. "I do love Fuinjutsu."

If I told you a shudder didn't then run down my spine, I'd be lying. My little mad scientist was mad science-ing so hard. She put a hand on my shoulder and directed me away from the nerve center. We went clockwise around the village's center, until we had traveled 180 degrees. I remember the guest house that I'd set up there, but that house was gone. In its place was a genuine pokemon lab. "How?" was all I could manage.

Lanette waved my concerns away, "I've got a machine for that. How do you think I make the traps for this place?"

"Is it called the building-builder 3000?" I asked.

"3-D printer with ironworks in a box," she corrected, "I covered it in Pikachu stickers."

I smiled, and allowed myself to be guided into the lab. Lanette guided me over to a chair, and fiddled with her tattoo gun. "I'm thinking right forearm," she purposed, so I pulled my right sleeve up and offered her the aforementioned body part.

"One, or both?" she asked.

I grabbed a stress ball, and squeezed it with my left hand. "Both."

Over the course of the next two hours, intricate seals were slowly drawn onto my arm in wide circles at regular intervals, creating a powerful seal. By the time the seal was ready I didn't have much feeling below my elbow, so Lanette touched the blades to my arm, and with a poof of white smoke, they were sealed away. As soon as the blades were sealed, the tattoos disappeared. "Perfect," I said, and Lanette stood back.

"Anything else?" she inquired.

I stood up, and bowed, "We got other work to take care of."

Lanette smiled, and gestured for me to stand over by another giant monitor. "Lisia is waiting for Riley, but Kankuro is at the Chunin Exams with Gaara. You may want to go replace him for Lisia's mission."

I nodded, "I may just do that."

Outside, Diantha, Wikstrom, and Cynthia were waiting for me. "We're going to the Chunin exams?"

"No," I said quickly, "I'm going to the chunin exams. You're staying here to train. Wikstrom, I want you to go through five iterations of the Dance of Dragalgae, Prance of Pyroar, and Stance of Stantler."

Wikstrom groaned, I smiled, and turned to Diantha. "Five laps around the Secret Base, 20 rounds with Hero, and work on your genjutsu throughout."

Diantha sagged, and I turned to Cynthia. She handed me my faceplate and whispered, "I picked this up for you… be gentle."

"30 rounds with Tribus…. Run the caves for maintenance with Primus, and then you can work genjutsu with Secondus," I said.

Cynthia nodded a bit, but the motion turned into a shake. "I asked you to be gentle."

I patted her shoulder with the arm I had feeling in. "It's good for you. Builds character."

Lanette cleared her throat, "I've had a teleporter installed at a few key outposts. Including your Base in Mr. Chimney."

I sighed with relief, and said, "That'll shorten the run. See you guys tomorrow at the latest."

I returned to the nerve center, and stepped onto the Teleport Disc. "Secret Base 32," I commanded, but nothing happened.

Lanette's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Uh, Brendan? I control the teleporter, not a computer."

I pulled on my facemask again to hide my blush, and light flashed. I blinked and I found myself in a cave, filled with Magma for light in the back. I transformed to appear to be Kankuro, and left the cave, and found myself on the Jagged Path. I summoned Jiton, who camouflaged and sped off to the south.

The Village Hidden in the Leaves was about an hour's flight away, so I sat down and meditated during the journey. Jiton knew the way, so I didn't pay much mind to the journey. Time passed, and eventually Jiton set me down on the ground. We were hidden just outside the walls of the village, so I recalled him and dropped the camouflage.

I strolled into the village, and immediately Izumo and Kotetsu stepped out. "Lord Kankuro?" Izumo asked, "Why aren't you at the tournament?"

I smiled menacingly and chuckled, "Had to take a leak, and I'm not used to your bathrooms."

Kotetsu rolled his eyes, and asked, "You're going to miss the matches to take a leak?"

I shrugged, and sped into the village, "When nature calls!"

The village hadn't changed much. Sure, Tsunade was up on the Hokage monument, but really that's not much. The soul of the village was the same. Same dudes selling the same stuff in the same shops, and the same ninja patrolling the same roofs. A few followed at a safe distance as I ran up to the arena, and then up the exterior.

The ANBU made a point of following quite close as I got up to the kage box. Gaara sat in a stone chair, Tsunade in another, and on either side of the hokage was Kakashi and Guy. Kankuro wasn't there, so I strolled up to Gaara's chair and put an arm on his backrest. Gaara eyed me, and then went back to watching the match between Kiba and a genin I didn't recognize. "Got the food?" he asked.

I grinned, "Slipped my mind. Had another shocking encounter with a swordsman."

Gaara's expression was expertly schooled, but he clutched at his armrest for a moment. "Anything major?"

"Got away with everything intact," I chuckled, "but I need to go to Fallarbor. Any clue where my clone went? I'd like to send him."

Of course, at that moment, the actual Kankuro walked up into the box with a bag of food. "Got the grub," he declared, "I didn't miss the main event, did I?"

We locked eyes, and his jaw dropped. Before either of us could cover the other's ass, Kakashi appeared in front of me with a kunai to my neck. "I don't know who you are, but we know you're _not_ Kankuro."

"I don't know why you were even playing spy here, Brendan," Gaara sighed, "It was only going to make this more awkward."

I dispelled the transformation, and Kakashi pulled back, "Brendan?" Kakashi asked.

"In the flesh," I whispered, "I've got to talk to Kankuro."

Kankuro handed the bag over to Gaara and asked, "What's up?"

"I got you a ticket to the next pokemon contest in Fallarbor," I said, "you should meet our blue friend there tomorrow."

Kankuro smiled, "I love contests. I'll take off. You gonna keep the peace here?"

I turned to Kakashi and said, "It'll be great. We'll talk about old times."

Zinnia ran up the stairs, Sakura and Ino in tow. "Look at who showed his face!" Zinnia exclaimed, "In a manner of speaking. Ditch the face plate."

"Nah," I motioned to Kakashi, "It's a cool guy thing. You wouldn't get it."

It got quiet. The match had stopped. People were craning their necks in the stands to get a look at me. Kiba launched a devastating fang over fang, rolling over the other genin, through the air, and into the kage box. "What are you doing here, traitor?!" he demanded.

Temari followed him up, and got in his face. "I haven't called match, Inuzuka. Get back down there now."

Kiba glared at me, and then went back to the match. Temari gave me a wink before floating down after him. "I didn't think you'd come back either Brendan," Sakura said, locking eyes with me, "or that you'd be allowed back."

"This gonna be a problem?" I asked.

She smiled and ran up to give me a hug. "I'm really glad you're here. It's been too long."

I tapped the back of her head politely. "Yay. Affection. I've always been good with that."

The match resumed, and the crowd roared with Kiba's triple Mighthyena combo. "I didn't vet your entry to the village," came a voice from behind me.

I turned my head over my shoulder, to find my father and Wally standing behind me. "I'm a personal guard of the Kazekage," I said, "You don't get to vet me."

Sakura let go, and stood back. The match continued, but everyone in the box was watching me and my father. "I hear they're calling you the Demon Hidden in the Sand," my father mused, "That's a big name to live up to. Not a good name to owe a favor to. You took care of my insurrection apparently, so I'll let this little security breach go."

"It was our pleasure," Gaara interjected, "Now, if you would, I'd like Brendan to proctor the next match. He's got a keen eye for the next type of combat, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade gave me an appraising glance, and then nodded. "Who are we dealing with?" I asked.

Gaara held up an itinerary, on which he'd circled "Drasna vs. Lucien." The edge of Gaara's mouth tugged up into a smirk, and I chuckled. I ran down the roof, the support pillars, and into the arena. Kiba stood over an unconscious leaf genin, and glared at me, while Temari looked more bemused than anything. "I guess they want an impartial judge for the next match," I teased.

Temari snorted, and said, "More like Gaara wants to show off."

She walked over to me, pulled off my face mask, and gave me a kiss on the cheek before taking off to the kage booth. I grinned, Kiba went pale at the sight of my teeth, and I said, "Get back to the green room."

He retreated, and I bellowed, "Drasna and Lucien. Get down here."

Drasna emerged from the Green room, dressed in a brown yukata, loosely tied, giant fangs attached to the choker around her neck as well as her earrings, and her long, black hair flowing behind her. She had a serene look to her, but a mirthful glint in her eyes. "Brendan-sensei," she said with a faux-bow, "surprised to see you."

I rolled my eyes and Lucien followed her out. He was dressed in a maroon suit, trimmed with small lapels, in Sinnoh fashion. His hair was wavy purple, and he walked with a swagger I was inclined to believe he hadn't earned. He took his position opposite of Drasna, and said, "Hey. You live in the Hidden Sand, right?"

Drasna tilted her head in acknowledgement, and Lucien frowned, "Do you know a blonde girl named Cynthia? I'm looking for her."

"Maybe I do," Drasna replied, sing-song, "Maybe I don't wanna tell you."

Lucien sighed with relief. "Her grandmother sent me. She's worried about Cynthia. Won't you tell me where she is? For the sanity of an old woman?"

Drasna's smile went from demure to fierce. "I've heard stories of a village elder in Sinnoh that would bring little girls to the top of Mt. Coronet and sacrifice them to please the Legendary Pokemon that are supposed to be found there. I'm not sure I'd trust an old woman from Sinnoh."

"Be reasonable," Lucien chided.

"Maybe I want to send the old woman a message," Drasna's hair began to levitate as she molded massive amounts of chakra, "Maybe if I beat you to a pulp, the old woman will stop trying."

Lucien sighed, and pulled a pokescroll from the inside of his jacket, summoning a Bronzor. "Let's do this the hard way then."

She summoned Viscount, her Noibat, and cackled, "My favorite!"

I chopped my hand through the air and shouted, "Begin!"

Noibat screeched, the pure force of the soundwaves knocking Lucien back. The Bronzor put up a barrier, allowing Lucien to recover his footing, but Drasna flew some hand signs and sprayed a stream of blue dragon fire, covering the barrier.

While the barrier was covered, Noibat flew up into the air and added a second stream of dragon fire from above. The barrier held, which really wowed the crowd, but I wasn't terribly surprised.

Dragon Rage always causes a moderate amount of damage, and a solid barrier can withstand that kind of force without issue, but Lucien was no longer visible. Drasna had done him a favor. A Medicham rolled out from behind the barrier to the right, and a Girafarig rolled out to the left. In perfect unison, they fired off psybeam attacks at Drasna.

Drasna jumped backwards into a roll, dodging the beams, but they followed her. The way she moved was startlingly inefficient. Temari would never teach her to shake her hips while rolling, dodging, and ducking attacks. Then I saw her chakra begin to manifest outside her body in streaks of red and blue light. "Dragon Dance," I whispered, "Genius."

The smile never leaving her face, Drasna went on the attack, axe kicking the Girafarig into the dirt, but before she could turn on the Medicham, it retreated behind Bronzor's barrier. "You can't hide in there forever!" Drasna jeered.

Viscount dropped the Dragon Rage attack, and fluttered down to Drasna's shoulder. Drasna bit her lip, and then summoned Knight, her Altaria. "Mist," she whispered, and soon the entire arena was shrouded in a thick, white mist.

Red and Blue light flashed inside, so I pulled on my go-goggles and switched them to infrared. Drasna and Knight were doing a double Dragon Dance, while Viscount floated between them. Lucien, on the other hand, was panting behind his barrier, applying bandages to his own torso. It was barely a whisper, but it cut through the fog like a knife, "Helping Hand."

All the power of Drasna's and Knight's Dragon Dances transferred to Viscount. "Dragon Pulse!" Drasna bellowed.

Viscount went white with heat, forcing me to avert my eyes and yank off my go-goggles. Blue light shone in the periphery of my vision, clearing the arena of mist, and I heard Lucien's barrier pop and then shatter. "What are you?" Lucien cried, "There's no way you're a mere genin!"

Lucien was right, of course. Drasna was well within chunin rank in terms of skills and tactics, but she wasn't even done. Viscount began to glow with white light, quadrupling in size, evolving into a full blown Noivern. "I'm Drasna, the Dragon master," Drasna whispered.

The crowed went silent, and Viscount screeched again, this time sending Lucien into the arena wall, where he stayed down. The crowd roared, Drasna smiled and waved demurely, bowed to me, and returned to the green room.

I looked up to the kage booth and gave Temari and Gaara thumbs-up. Temari floated down, and whispered, "You can go back up now."

I leapt up the arena walls, and landed next to Gaara. "That's another chunin for the Hidden Sand," I declared.

Tsunade nodded. "Undeniably. Where do you find these people, Gaara?"

Gaara gestured to me. "Brendan and Temari picked up six students while they were in Kalos. They're all exceptional ninja and pokemon trainers. I just wanted to show you that we will have strong ninja to reinforce you should Akatsuki, Team Magma, or Team Aqua attack."

Tsunade nodded. "Allow me to repay the favor then, with the next match. Bring out Ino and Hinata."


	42. Chapter 42

Ch 42

Ino and Hinata were in the middle of pitched combat when Sakura tapped my shoulder. "How have you been?" she asked.

I shrugged, "You know how it is. I go on missions. I come back to the village. Lather, rinse, repeat."

She stood next to me, and looked down at the match. "I'm really glad we got to talk. Naruto's coming back soon, but I didn't think I'd ever really get to talk to you. I mean, you, me, and Kakashi-sensei within fifteen feet of each other?"

"Want me to take you to catch a Pokémon for old time's sake?" I asked.

"I hear you're ANBU now," she murmured, then paused before asking, "Heard anything about Sasuke?"

I winced. "Orochimaru has a notoriously tight organization. Nobody who infiltrates that organization stays alive or loyal. Sasuke is a mystery."

Sakura sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I just thought that if anybody could tell me something about Sasuke, it would be you."

It still hurt to keep that secret. Sasuke was in mortal danger every day however, and I couldn't risk Sakura pulling a dumb rescue attempt, or worse… talking to Naruto. He was training with Jiraiya, but he was still about as subtle as a wild Tyranitar and with all the forethought of a rampaging Gyarados. "You know I caught up with Naruto in Kalos," I offered, "He was working with Jiraiya and this guy Ramos. Training in chakra manipulation."

Sakura beamed, "How was he?"

I sighed, "He went through a growth spurt. His clothes were looking ragged, but he was in great shape, and his Pokémon were amazing. Kasai evolved into a Ninetails."

"I can't wait to see him," she affirmed, "I want to show him how hard I've been training. You know Flower evolved? And Tantrum! Lady Tsunade even helped me select some really awesome Pokémon to add to my roster!"

I smiled at her, and she could see based off my eyes, but then she asked, "Why are you wearing that face plate?"

"The Executioner's blade changed my teeth," I said, "This is less intimidating than shark-face."

"I guess we've all changed a lot," Sakura mused, "maybe you, most of all."

"You have no idea," I whispered, but before she could respond, Hinata finished the match.

The crowd roared, and Gaara stepped over to me. He showed me Siebold and Malva were up next. "We'll need another unbiased proctor. You good?"

I nodded, and then whispered, "Well, gotta go."

I jumped off the kage booth and ran down the side of the arena to stand by an unconscious Ino and an exhausted Hinata. It was awkward. She had questions that I didn't feel like answering, so I gave her this weird little wave with my hands. The gesture confused her, so then I motioned for her to return to the green room. I don't know if she went because she was confused or polite, but I didn't have to talk about the weird thing about me leaving _again_ so I was happy.

Malva wore a black crop top and red leggings with black diamond cut outs while she flicked her pink sunglasses open and closed. "Brendan-sensei?" she asked, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm unbiased," I explained, "and totally willing to watch you two beat the snot out of each other."

Malva grinned like the devil. "It's finally here. I'm gonna wipe the smile off that son of a bitch once and for all!"

Siebold, blonde hair waving in the breeze and his blue eyes sparkling with mirth, strutted out into the arena in short order, a long, white coat billowing out behind him in resplendent fashion. "Classy, as always," he assured, "and if I ever stop smiling, know that it is only because I'm standing downwind."

"You're not funny," Malva spat.

"When are you two just gonna make out?" I asked, "Oh, and start fighting."

Malva flew through a few hand signs, and spat out a phoenix flower jutsu. Siebold slammed his hands on the ground and a water wall rose up to absorb the blow. Siebold summoned Wave, his Gyarados, and Malva responded by summoning her Infernape, Flame.

"Whoa…" I whispered, and Infernape used Bulk Up.

Wave roared and shot a Scald attack, which turned to steam before it reached Flame. "We're too hot for that!" Malva screeched, "Burn fucker!"

"Sunny Day!" Malva shouted, and the sunlight turned harsh.

The edges of Siebold's lips turned down for a moment, but then he schooled himself, and began going through hand signs. "Art of the Steam Bath!"

The steam that still filled the arena thickened and I found myself waist deep in a hot spring. Malva was turning around as fast as she could, but could not find Siebold. I slowed my chakra to a standstill, and the genjutsu faded.

Siebold strutted around Malva, and drew a kunai from the inside of his jacket, but Flame delivered a brutal body blow, sending him flipping backwards. Genjutsu doesn't affect fighting type Pokémon. However Siebold's "body" dissolved into steam.

Wave held its head aloft to gather water, and then sprayed a column of water at Flame. The column dissolved as expected, but as the mass of water shrunk, a shadow became visible from within it. Siebold delivered a swift sucker punch to Infernape, stunning it, and setting up Wave's Dragon Rage assault.

A blue mass of dragon-fire hit Flame square in the chest, washing over him, leaving Malva's Pokémon bent over in pain. The crowd gasped. At that moment, however, Malva broke the genjutsu, and began drawing in light.

An instant later, she spat out a ball of light, which flew above her head, and then unleased a beam of solar energy at Wave. Wave recoiled, and Flame grabbed its tail, and then threw it airborne. Siebold drew a kunai, and threw it at Malva, but Flame caught it in mid-air.

As Wave reached the apex of his flight up, he began to Thrash. When the Gyarados hit the ground, it shook the entire arena, and each of its jerky, insane movements cracked the earth below it. Flame got caught under Wave's massive tail, and didn't get up.

Malva molded another Solar Beam and unleashed it at Wave. Siebold was sweating, Malva looked exhausted, and both of their Pokémon were unconscious, but it had been one hell of a show. The crowd roared their approval.

Siebold chuckled. "This… this is a battle that is worth-while. Thank you, I'll treasure it in my mind."

"What kind of sentimental, hippie-dippie bullshit are you spewing now?!" Malva demanded, "I'll show you how a real ninja battles!"

Siebold summoned Tide, his Blastoise, who slammed her fists together and roared. "Time for a change in scenery, I think," he whispered, then shouted, "Rain Dance!"

The sunlight faded, and storm clouds swirled into a frenzy above the arena. A deluge hit our heads like a physical blow, and Malva seemed to sizzle. Then Malva summoned Flare, her Houndoom. The shadows created by the rain began to dance themselves. "I've got no problems here in the dark," she whispered, and disappeared.

Siebold closed his eyes and stood very still. Tide, on the other hand, lowered her head and began running around her trainer in a spiral pattern, searching for Malva and Flare with Skull Bash. Then Siebold reached out and created an orb of water around himself. "Aqua Ring," I identified.

The Aqua Ring would heal Siebold as well as help his chakra reserves slowly recover. Siebold was playing the long game. Eventually Tide was running just inside the arena walls, and thus returned to Siebold's side.

Siebold began to race through hand signs and mutter under his breath. I knew the signs. I'd taught him them. He intended to turn the Arena itself into a pool that a Waillord would be comfortable in. I raced up the side of the arena, and bumped into somebody near the top.

"Shit!" I heard Malva swear, and she pushed off me to run away, but Siebold had been watching.

Tide shot a Hydro Pump attack from her shoulder cannons at Malva, following her path away from me. The pressurized water, loaded with chakra, washed Malva's concealment away. Her eyes were defiant, and though she still looked ready to fight, Flare was on its last leg after Tide's attack.

Flare's eyes flashed purple, and then it unleashed a wave of dark energy, which washed over Tide, but ejected Siebold from his Aqua Ring, disrupting his jutsu. Siebold landed in mud, and when he rose, all manner of decorum had left him, rage painted on his face. "You _bitch_!"

Malva ran down the wall, and Siebold ran up towards her. They traded blows, and Tide shot attacks at Flare, who was just a step ahead of the Blastoise. Siebold began to buckle while Flare began to flag.

A gut punch ended Siebold's resistance even as Tide finally caught Flare. Tide and Malva locked eyes, and rushed each other. Tide lowered her head and caught Malva's torso even as Malva slapped an electric tag on the water Pokémon.

Electricity raced over Tide, but she continued with her attack, pinnind Malva to the arena wall. Tide fell, and while Malva managed to wiggle out from the space between Tide and the arena wall, she fell over into the muddy arena floor. She didn't rise.

I slid down the wall to land next to Malva. I pulled Flare's pokescroll out of her pocket and sealed her Pokémon away, before I picked the genin up and returned her to the Green Room. Temari followed with Siebold after a moment.

Medics rushed to take the two ninja, and we returned to the arena. Temari put her arm around my waist, jumped into the air, and used her fan to fly us up to the kage booth. Gaara and Tsunade were deep in talks about the next match, but when we touched down, Gaara said, "Brendan, Temari… you have a visitor. Kakashi will proctor the next match."

He gestured to the stairwell that led down into the general populace's grandstands, so we walked down. The stairwell had three turns, but emptied into a security checkpoint that was pointedly absent of ANBU. In the middle of the room was a table, and at it sat my mother. "Brendan," she said, "It's been too long."

I took a step backwards, but Temari put her hand on my lower back, stopping me. "She just wants to talk."

I shot a look at my girlfriend, but she didn't flinch, rather, she raised an eyebrow at me. "She's your mother. She cares for you. I care for you. We talk sometimes."

"About what?" I demanded. "I thought we were pretty clear with one another two years ago."

"Things ended badly," my mother admitted, "but I never stopped caring for you. You want to live away from me and your father, fine. I get where you're coming from. I… I just couldn't bear not trying to fix things."

I didn't know what to say to that. How do you fix a relationship that's as bad as ours was? That said, I wasn't opposed to it. Maybe she knew better than I. I took a seat at the table. Temari sat down next to me, and intertwined her fingers with mine. "I'm on your side," she reminded me.

"Could I… could I see your face?" my mother asked.

I bit my tongue for a moment, and then I pulled of the mask and the beanie. I sighed, "Everything the way you remember?"

She gasped, "The rumors are true about your teeth. You're one of those swordsmen now."

"The Demon Hidden in the Sand," I whispered in acknowledgement, "a hard-earned name."

My mother's face fell. "You say it like you're proud of it."

"I'm not," I assured her, "but I earned it, and I'm not sorry about it either."

Temari squeezed my hand, "You're a good man, Brendan."

My mother looked from Temari to me, and said, "If you can look at yourself in the mirror every morning, then… you're doing all right."

"If fighting the fights that Brendan fought were easy then everyone would," Temari snapped, "I agreed to a guilt free meeting."

"You did," My mother held her hands up, "I'm sorry. I haven't been there. I can't know."

Silence reigned for half a minute that seemed to stretch into an eon. "You two… look happy," my mother coughed, "I'm glad you're happy Brendan."

"Thank you," I whispered, "How are things in the village?"

She shrugged, "Professor Birch is working with the academy students, but Jo isn't too keen on the idea after… after…"

"After May died," I finished.

Her eyes watered, and she looked away, "That. And Wally is in the Foundation, so he's not the boy we knew and you… well. Yeah."

I bit my lip, and drew blood. "That sucks. I'm sorry you're in pain. I'm sorry they're in pain."

"Brendan didn't cause any of that," Temari asserted, and I squeezed her hand, "He's fighting to make sure that kind of tragedy doesn't repeat itself. I told you that we weren't going to be subjected to any guilt or mind games. This conversation is over."

Temari grabbed my faceplate and beanie, so we left, and my mother didn't try to stop us. In the stairwell stood Zinnia. Her usual smile was absent. "Nobody said this path was easy, but I certainly wish it wasn't this damn painful."

I felt my eyes water, but I held it in, and grunted, "Tell me about it. What's up?"

Zinnia breathed in and out slowly. "The mirages. They're space/time distortions. I thought if I went to Mt. Coronet I'd figure everything out, but no dice. This isn't Palkia or Dialga. It's a legendary Pokémon that's native to the Elemental Nations."

"Palkia and Dialga are the only space/time Pokémon though," Temari said, "Could there be multiple versions of them?"

"Latios and Latias," I said, "They're psychic, and I found a text in the Land of Water that indicates they could use mist to conceal themselves and even teleport. I'd put money on them."

"Those two are notoriously elusive," Zinnia grumbled, "It would be a heroic feat to capture them."

"In the last war, they picked their trainers," I insisted, "they'll pick their trainers this time too."

"So… they're shopping around?" Temari asked.

"Then my investigation is a dead end," Zinnia sighed, "Back to looking for the big guy."

"We tried," Temari reminded, "In Kalos. Even Mega-evolved Pokémon can't fly as high as Rayquaza."

Zinnia grinned, "You two aren't the only ones raiding old temples and tombs. I have found records of a Tower that reaches into the sky itself. And it's said that Rayquaza roosts at this Sky Tower."

I nodded, "and we're closing in on the Regis. I found Regigigas."

Zinnia nodded. "Okay. I'll pass all this along to Itachi. How's Sasuke?"

"Rumor has it that Orochimaru and another figure fought over a thousand Hidden Star ninja a few months ago," I supplied, "No dead though. They all told stories of a man with red eyes."

"You've only got a few more months before Orochimaru is ready to absorb him," Zinnia reminded, "Maybe now is a good time to pull him out."

Temari snorted, "Like we don't have people closing on them."

"Well then, meeting adjourned," Zinnia said, "Let's go watch Hinata beat the snot out of Drasna."

"In your dreams," Temari chuckled.


	43. Chapter 43

Ch 43

Drasna, Siebold, and Malva stood up next to Temari in Old Lady Kaede's tea shop, while Gaara and I stayed seated nearby. Temari raised a cup of sake and said, "To our new chunin-trainers."

Gaara and I held our drinks aloft, and murmured something in agreement before drinking deeply. Drasna beamed, Siebold hid his blushing cheeks behind the collar of his coat, and Malva was too busy looking at her pokenav to notice. Temari sat down and scooted under my arm.

I grinned, and held my drink in the direction of Malva. "You ready to start training with me again?"

She flipped her pokenav closed and narrowed her eyes at me behind her tinted glasses. "I owe Cynthia a debt."

"Then stop talking about it and kick the shit out of her," Temari chided, "you guys got punked and you're mad… but you still let yourselves get punked. Babe, are you tired of their whining?"

I set my glass down and sighed, "Tired of my students maybe. They've been whining about how taking these guys out slowed down their training."

Gaara shook his head, Temari glowered at me, and Siebold's jaw dropped. "What did they say?"

"They're tired of not being able to spar with you guys," I explained, and Temari pinched me hard, "They said that if you guys hadn't been so easy to take down, their own training wouldn't have slowed."

Malva dropped her glass. "What?!"

"Oh yeah," I continued, stirring up a storm of emotion, "Wikstrom said that once they took down Drasna, which was as quick as a hit on the back of the head, you two tore each other apart for them."

Even Drasna's smile disappeared. "They poisoned me," she hissed.

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "That's not the way I heard it."

Gaara sniggered, and the three chunin got all in their own heads. "You're awful," Temari whispered.

"Just pissing 'em off a bit to make training more productive," I replied.

Someone in the booth behind me asked, "Did I teach you that?"

My body locked and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end. Temari craned her neck over my shoulder, gasped, and then turned to me. "I didn't talk to him," she swore, "Just your mom."

I sighed, and turned around to see Steven-sensei sitting there, with an angry look. "Mind games, Brendan? You're better than that. These are your students, not your spies."

"They're my students," Temari interjected, "and a little motivation can go a long way. I seem to remember you threatening Brendan with the training contraptions that you used on Wally? Doesn't that qualify as a mind game?"

I squeezed Temari's shoulder, and she subsided. "You wanna have a heart to heart too?" I asked.

"Who is this man?" Drasna asked.

Siebold stood up, "This is a private conversation."

I waved him down, and said, "Relax. This is my old sensei, Steven Stone. There's a bit of awkwardness here, okay?"

Malva took a picture, gave me an unapologetic look, and returned to her iced tea. "I was hoping to meet your students," Steven-sensei confessed, "but I didn't have high hopes for that after the past two years."

I dragged a hand down my face in pure exasperation. "Am I going to be doing this little dance on repeat until I leave? Because I'll leave right now."

"You've been ducking me for over two years," he growled, "You worry me."

My veins iced over. "It's too late for that," it was a whisper that promised shouting, "Who do you think you are?"

He sagged backwards into his seat. "You're still _this_ mad? Really?"

I stood up and went for the door. "I need some air," I barked.

Steven-sensei was not deterred. Outside the café, he grabbed my shoulder and demanded, "Why are you going after the Regis?"

"Why aren't you?!" I bellowed. "If you know what I'm after, how have you not already attained it?! You know the stories better than anyone!"

"The Regi's power was locked away with good reason," Steven-sensei countered, "they should not be awakened. You're not strong enough to control them."

I pointed at his face and snarled, "You are! You're the _only_ one who's stronger than me. The only difference between me and you is that I am getting stronger, while your training has stagnated."

"How do you know that my training has stagnated?" he demanded.

"I have ears _everywhere_ ," I whispered, "Nothing escapes me."

Steven's face twisted with disgust, "You're spying on your allies?"

"Your father is worried about you," I asserted, "and he came to me for advice."

His face fell and he tried to speak several times. "I… I can't stop you from doing what you're doing. That's as obvious as it is now as it was when you were a genin. But you mark my words! You'll cause a cataclysm just as soon as Team Aqua or Team Magma. The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"It's better to have a weapon you don't want then to need a weapon you don't have," I retorted.

"Don't twist my words like that!" Steven pleaded, "the regis aren't weapons! They're forces beyond man's control."

"Enough!" Temari strode out of the café to stand between us.

She glared at Steven and spat, "You! We were celebrating with my students and you _ruined_ it. Get lost!"

I was about to add to her tirade when she rounded on me and snarled, "And you! You're shouting about classified intelligence in the _middle of the street!_ What the fuck!?"

I sagged in shame like my mother had caught my hand in the poffin jar. A sigh escaped me and Temari directed me back into the café. Gaara made a noise that was equal parts empathy and apathy. "You should know better Brendan," he whispered, "Temari is going to kick your ass later."

I sighed in defeat and agreement, and sat down. Malva didn't even wait a full second. "What's a Regi?"

"That's classified," I snapped.

Temari came in and sat across from me. She glared at me until I met her gaze and then kicked my shin under the table. It was awkward for a while, until Shikamaru jaunted into the café. He stepped over to us and bowed, "Lady Hokage apologizes for Steven-sensei's behavior."

I stared at my sake intently, and Shikamaru asked, "Isn't 18 a little young to be drinking, Brendan?"

"He knows the bartender," Gaara quipped.

"Is it that simple?" Shikamaru mused, and then looked over to Kaede behind the bar, "Can I get a sake too?"

The old lady nodded, and Shikamaru pulled a chair over to our table. "You mind?" he asked.

"Just… just don't be a dick," I pleaded.

He smiled a bit at me, and said, "I won't claim to understand why you did what you did, but I know you, Brendan. It must have been the right thing to do, or at least the lesser of two evils."

"I would never call Temari that out loud," I assured him and Temari kicked me again, but this time she smiled a bit.

Kaede dropped off Shikamaru's sake and he took a sip. "Oh, that's good."

"It's celebration sake," Temari said, "for my students, who are chunin now. Speaking of promotion… when are you finally going to go for jonin?"

"Ooh," I hissed, "Need a colder drink for that burn?"

"You guys are a drag, you know that?" Shikamaru asked.

"It was a bit weird to compete with people who were genin at the same time as our teachers," Malva said carefully.

Shikamaru guffawed, "Brendan here was always a step ahead of us. He taught us to use Pokémon just like he's teaching you. Is it really that much of a shock that you're strong when you've been training with him for what? A year? We only got six months."

I chuckled at the compliment. "You're welcome to drop by my dojo in the Hidden Sand anytime."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, "I might take you up on that. Actually, before I was here, I was at Hyuuga compound. Hinata, Ino and Kiba were all promoted to chunin today too. You should drop by."

I gave Temari a look, and she shrugged. "Could be fun. Let the kids go back to the, uh, "dojo" and resume training."

"I like the sound of that," Drasna muttered, "Got some kinks to work out."

Gaara nodded. "I'll take them back. You two go socialize. Say hi to everyone for me and make the appropriate apologies."

Shikamaru downed his sake and nodded towards the exit. "Let's go then."

We went away from downtown to the edge of the village, and up to the quaint gates of the Hyuuga compound. Neji and Hiashi were waiting for us just inside. "Brendan," Neji cleared his throat, "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

"Shikamaru gave us the invite," I explained.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru and snorted, "Like he has the authority to invite people to a Hyuuga party."

Hinata ran towards us from down the hall, and bowed, "Uh, father, I'd, uh, like Brendan and Temari to come in. Sakura says they're good and so does Lady Tsunade."

Hiashi eyed me with a cold glare. I held my hands up and said, "Just looking to talk to some old friends."

"My daughter trusts you," he growled, "so I'll let you in under the condition that Neji follows your every move."

I kept my hands up. "Deal."

Hinata smiled faintly before retreating back down the hallway. Neji guided us through a winding hallway to the main hall, which was filled with familiar people and more food than seemed feasible to have been prepared between the exams ending and the party. Everyone came to a stand still when I entered.

"I know I'm just _that_ pretty, but it's a bit sad that my looks have stunned you to silence," I declared.

Rock Lee flipped out of the crowd to land in front of me. "Brendan!?" he shouted.

"Rock Lee?!" I mimicked.

He wrapped his arms around me and tears streamed down his face, "Brendan! I am so happy that you are here!"

He squeezed harder than I was ready for and I squeaked in protest. "I'm the only one who gets to force that sound out of him," Temari quietly reprimanded.

Lee released me, and my old comrades crowded around me. "It's… it's great to see you Brendan," Hinata stuttered.

Neji nodded, "Good to know that one person we lost can come back, even if temporarily."

I was struck silent, but kept looking around me like eventually I'd find the words would appear on their foreheads. "Brendan's been getting interrogated from all sides," Temari explained, "He wasn't ready for you guys to be so supportive."

Sakura stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. "We heard most of the details about what happened from Zinnia. We were mad about it for a long time, partly because we missed May too, but after seeing what your father did to Wally…"

"We get it," Shikamaru supplied, "It isn't pretty, but we get it."

My eyes threatened tears and I choked out, "My own mother blasted me but you guys get it?"

Neji shrugged, "You're not Sasuke, Brendan. Zinnia won't shut up about how you're always sharing intel or hitting hard targets for the villages. Thanks to you the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand are closer than they've ever been."

Lee pumped his fists in the air and shouted, "I have got to show you my new pokemon! I would very much like to hear your opinion!"

He pulled three pokescrolls out of a pouch behind his back and said, "Presenting, a party of pokemon that is in the full swing of the Springtime of Youth! It's Titan, Medic, and Vanguard with the Leaf's beautiful green beast himself!"

Lee summoned a Machamp, in full green leotard, his Audino with the same outfit, and an Absol with an orange scarf around its neck. I stepped up to Vanguard, the Absol, and walked around it. Its fur was impeccably groomed, and when I ran my finger along the scythe on its head I nearly cut my finger. "Impressive. Give it a few Red pokeblocks to up the cool factor. Intimidation is key with Dark Pokemon."

I gave his other pokemon a once over and said, "Yellow pokeblocks to Titan, and… Pink to Medic."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Pokeblocks don't just heal pokemon," I explained, "They boost stats and can change the appearance of pokemon."

I summoned Raiton, and pointed to his fur, "Pink pokeblocks give a pokemon's fur a certain luster that makes it appear cuter, so other pokemon are less likely to come at them with the full force of their blows. Take every advantage you can, right?"

Kiba snorted. "Back for two minutes and you're already teaching us again, huh? Just like that?"

Shino elbowed Kiba with a little more force than was probably necessary. "We talked about this. You already embarrassed us during the exams."

"I got heated because of the match," Kiba insisted, "Soldier pills had me seeing red! I'm not mad."

"Apologize," Hinata whispered, "You owe Brendan that."

Kiba groaned, bowed his head, and sighed, "Sorry. I shouldn't have been such a jerk, soldier pills or not."

I inclined my head towards him, "I… wish it could have been different too."

Temari linked her arm through mine and coughed, "Not too different."

I pressed my forehead into the side of her head for a moment, and then I turned back to the party. "Why don't you guys visit the village next time you're on leave? I can give you a few pointers. Just like old times."

"I'm game!" Sakura exclaimed.

General agreement filled the room, and the party resumed. One by one, old friend came by with old and new pokemon, and while I gave them tips on how to train their pokemon, I filed away details about evolutionary stages and possible combinations between teammates. I didn't notice that Wally had entered the room until Temari pointed out that he had entered the line.

"What does Norman want?" I asked, and the room fell quiet.

Wally, eyes blank, smiled and asked, "Do I really need an excuse to see old friends?"

"No," Sakura answered, "but you have one."

"So hostile," he tutted, "It must be the smile. It doesn't feel natural anymore."

"Was it worth it?" I demanded.

"I'd do anything to protect the village," Wally retorted, "Just like you have. I'm just better at it. Closer to home."

"What do you want, Wally?" Sakura demanded.

"A Flygon arrived asking for the Demon to head home," he answered, "and this isn't his home anymore, so he's got to go."

Temari stepped in front of me and whispered, "Careful with your words, runt. Everyone works for someone, even Norman."

I dipped my head at Sakura, and said, "Well then, I've got work to do apparently."

Temari and I left the compound, and waved good bye to Neji. "Don't let Wally bug you," Temari whispered out of earshot.

"He's my friend," I countered, "and he's made a terrible compromise."

"We've all made compromises," she chided.

"I redefined my morality," I explained, "but he sacrificed his soul. Where's the line?"

She pinched me. "I'll keep your big, stupid head on straight."

I pulled off my mask, and kissed her. "I love you too."


	44. Chapter 44

Ch 44

When Temari and I returned to my Secret Base, we came upon the sight of Drasna and Wikstrom in the midst of a vicious sparring match. Wikstrom was only just capable of moving his broadsword fast enough to parry or deflect Drasna's frenzied assault. "Hit me on the head, did you?!" Drasna shrieked.

"Has your sense abandoned you, fair maiden?!" Wikstrom pleaded, "I have not the knowledge of what you speak!"

Drasna blurred in speed, appearing behind him, and hissed, "I'll show you a blow to the head!"

Wikstrom caught the blow on the hilt of his sword, and pushed her away. Temari glowered at them and whispered, "Look at what you did."

Wikstrom fell to his knees before Drasna could continue, and offered up his sword. "I know not what could have caused you such distress, but surely it was an offense most grievous. I offer you whatever retribution you see fit."

Drasna snatched the sword up and held it aloft. "You told your sensei that you beat me by hitting me on the head?!"

"My lord Brendan did not inquire as to the means of your defeat," Wikstrom assured her, "your fall was due to Diantha's poisons."

I snorted and Drasna peered over Wikstrom's armored shoulder to stare at me. "He… he was messing with us," Drasna's face went slack with surprise, and then she dropped Wikstrom's sword, "I've got to stop Malva!"

Wikstrom turned slowly to look at me, dumbfounded. "What… what purpose did this trickery serve?" he stammered.

I shrugged, "Figured you guys would spar harder in training."

Wikstrom collapsed to the side. "I… I thought Lady Drasna had finally considered my courtship proposal satisfactory."

I walked over to pat Wikstrom on the back, but he didn't move and his eyes glazed over. "Okay," I admitted, "I may have done some damage here."

An explosion went off on the opposite end of the base. "You think?" Temari inquired.

Temari took off at a sprint, and I followed behind for a moment before ascending to the rooftops to get a better view. Yellow and red light flickered out of the cavern leading to the Waterfall of Truth. I summoned Jiton, leapt on, and we rocketed towards the fire. Smoke began to billow out of the cavern even as I passed Drasna and reached the entrance.

Cynthia stood against Malva and Siebold with Diantha meditating behind them peacefully with Gaara. "Stand down or I hurt you," Cynthia hissed and Primus snarled in agreement.

Siebold began to pull the water out of a lake, and moved his hands in a circular fashion, forming a minefield of explosive bubbles throughout the cavern. Malva held her right hand in front of her, and a spear of pure fire appeared there. "Fire Style: Power Spear."

The more chakra she poured into the jutsu, the longer and sharper the spear got. The flames burned with such intensity the charka filled the room with such buzzing that when I cried out, "Wait!" nobody heard.

Malva hurled the spear for Diantha, but Primus deflected it up towards the ceiling with its right fin/blade. The spear didn't burn Primus, but as it ascended up, every bubble it approached exploded with the force of dynamite and sent steam cascading out in all directions. I covered my eyes and got in front of Temari to take the force of the blows.

The steam blew by quickly and Temari ducked under my arm, and used her wind to burst the rest of the bubbles with one smooth motion. An orb of sand had risen up to protect Diantha, but Gaara stood just outside it. "What happened here?" he demanded quietly.

"A bit of an engineered squabble," I confessed, "Got out of hand."

Temari however, was ignoring us, and had stomped over to Siebold and Malva. I heard angry whispers, "In front of the Kazekage? Really? You can't let Brendan get under your skin so that you forget yourselves…"

Gaara watched, and his expression relaxed. "No idea what's in store for 'em."

I scratched the back of my head, and watched Temari drag Malva and Siebold out of the cavern. "Yeah. That's gonna be rough."

Gaara gave me a peculiar look, like if he'd had eyebrows one would be arched. "How do you know I wasn't talking about you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I already got mine, thank you."

Diantha stood up, staggered over to the nearest wall, and slumped against it. "Couldn't quite hack it against my darkness."

"Jinchuriki must overcome their personal darkness if they aim to control their tailed beast," Gaara explained, "the writings say as much. Meditation here should help Diantha as it helped Fuu and I before her. You may want to try it some time Brendan."

I didn't understand because I wasn't ready to. My darkness was my own already. And so I shrugged and asked, "How did it go for you?"

"It made me stronger than I ever could have been otherwise," he said, "it'll make Diantha strong too once she figures it out."

Kankuro walked in, white as a sheet. "What's got Temari all wound up?"

"Her students pulled a Naruto," I explained.

"That would do it," he chuckled as his color returned, "well, we should leave them to it Gaara. Meeting you need to attend back in the village."

"No rest for the wicked," I declared with a nod, "We'll refocus on the Regis."

I walked them back to command and they used the warp tile to leave. As Gaara left, Lanette brought up a holographic map of the Elemental Nations. "I figured out the code," she waved a clipboard at me, "and I figured out the message from the Regigigas temple. They were four locations."

Lanette pointed to the ocean between Slateport and the Land of Fire, a spot in the middle of the Land of Wind's vast desert, a place near the Land of Rain's eastern border, and finally north of the village hidden in the Mist. A whistle escaped me and I asked, "How did the Regis get so spread out? They were all used by the people of the Land of Wind during the last Legendary Conflict, but there's only one location in the Land of Wind. It was no easy thing to build these temples."

Lanette brought her clipboard up to her lips and chewed a little on its edge. "Could be the Regis built their specific temples for themselves? You noticed that the Regigigas Temples was bigger than the others, right?"

I nodded, "So each one could be as different as the Regis themselves. No knowing until we see 'em."

"Should I call in your team?" Lanette asked.

I nodded and zoomed the map in on the location in the Land of Wind. It was just south of where I'd found Mirage Tower. An hour's run at most. "Gotta be jokin," I whispered.

Wikstrom, Diantha, and Cynthia came in looking ragged and a bit wide eyed. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"They _attacked_ us," Cynthia supplied.

"In front of the Kazekage!" Diantha added, "Apparently."

"Right," I nodded, and swirled my hand in a 'move it along' gesture, "sorry about that. Just wanted to make training interesting but hindsight is 20/20, blah blah blah."

I pointed to the Land of Wind location, "Cynthia, I need you to find and explore the Regi Temple at this location. This is not a capture mission, this is entirely recon. Same goes for you Diantha, but here," I gestured to the place north of the Hidden Mist, "and Wikstrom, you get the toughie," gesturing to the Land of Rain, "all my spies in this area went dark. No contact with anyone, hide in the temple if possible, flee if not."

They nodded and I said, "Get what you need and get a move on with all possible speed."

"I have warp panels for you to set up there when you arrive," Lanette added, "So make sure to stop by my lab."

Wikstrom rose his hand and asked, "Should we collapse the entrances once we get there? Keep unfriendlies out?"

"Preserve the structural integrity where possible," I answered, "but set up traps one way or the other. These temples are ours now."

"I'll send Aarune your way whenever you're ready for him," Lanette nibbled on her clipboard again for a split second, "but I can't think of anything else."

I nodded and said, "Send me to Slateport."

Lanette tapped a nearby computer screen, I blinked, and opened my eyes to a Secret Base I kept in a cave under the Great Naruto Bridge. Some people preferred the nickname "Cycling Road" but I think the full title has a better ring to it. The base was basically a cave with a warp panel and some explosive clay over the entrance, but not every base is fancy. As I stepped out of the cavern a group of triathletes ran by but they saw my sand headband and sped away.

I picked up the warp panel, blew the entrance closed, and flipped my pokenav open. The spot was in the middle of the water, but that hadn't been an issue for me in a long time. I transformed my appearance to that of a triathlete and summoned Suiton who transformed into a Devon model Jetski. We took off hugging the bridge until we were out of swimmer range, and then peeled out into open water.

In under an hour I'd lost sight of all land and the bridge, but the spot was easy to find with GPS. Nothing there but a few Feebas schooling to confuse a Sharpedo. I dropped the transformation, threw my pokenav into my bag, sealed it with chakra, and dove underwater. Suiton kept close and down we went. The water was deep, but the light still filtered down to touch an underwater hill.

I looked around, and the sea floor was utterly flat, covered in sand, with the exception of this one rock. No signs of tectonic fissures or a surprise volcano, so I approached it. There was a perfect circular entrance on the southern side and a little light glimmered from inside. Suiton and I swam in and saw that were now in what looked like a pool with an entrance in the wall.

We breached the surface and gawked at the find. This rock contained a temple to the Regis like some sort of natural eco dome. The temple itself was smaller than the Regigigas one by at least 10 times, it almost looked like a stone house sitting on a beach, and above us was a solitary Solrock, floating serenely at the tallest point in the cavern. Suiton began to swim around the temple island clockwise, but I swam straight for the island.

I set the warp panel just short of the entrance and walked in. In the center of the temple room was a single, person sized button switch on the center of the floor. When I approached it, a voice came from behind me. "Don't do that."

I whirled around to find a stone face scowling at me. "Excuse me?" I asked.

The face rolled its eyes. "Don't step on the switch. It will trigger a cataclysm."

"The Regis?" I asked hopefully.

The face narrowed its eyes. "You're a trainer then. Here for a power grab?"

"There are some people looking to wake up the super-ancient Pokémon," I answered, "and I'm looking for what I need to stop them."

The stone paused, then sighed angrily, "I was kind of hoping that I was one of those 'worst case scenarios' that would never be needed, but… okay. Do these other people have the orbs?"

"Orbs?" I asked.

"The Red and Blue Orbs," it answered, "The secret to Primal Reversion. Have you ever heard of sage chakra?"

"Powerful and difficult to master," I answered, "Haven't tried the stuff. Yet."

"It adds the world's natural energy to your chakra. It makes ninja able to wipe entire countries off the map. Natural energy makes the super ancient Pokémon able to reshape the entire world," one of the statue's eyes shone red and the other blue, "you need to go to Mt. Myoboku right now."

"Never heard of it," I scratched my head, "but maybe it's called by a different name. What's around this mountain?"

"I've never been," the statue hissed, "I trusted one of my Elite Four with the orbs. His family was supposed to take care of it."

Two and two came together. This face was animated by the chakra of Champion who had ended the last legendary Pokémon war. "I'll find it," I reassured him, "I found this place."

"Don't wake the Regis until the last minute," he warned, "most Pokémon are easy to control, but those four need chakra to function. If you're not careful they'll bleed you dry."

I nodded, "Sleep then, champion. I'll take care of everything else."

He smiled, "I wish I could have battled you. Seen your soul burn alongside your Pokémon, but I'll put in a good word in the next world."

The stone went still and then dissolved into mud. I turned back to the button and smiled. Suiton bounded up to the entrance and whuffed happily. "We got what we needed," I patted her arm, and recalled her.

I tapped the warp panel and said, "Take me back. We've got the key to the Regis."

"Not a moment too soon," Lanette replied with an uncharacteristic squeak, and light flashed, making me close my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, Lanette was in my face with a face stricken by terror. "The village is under attack! Men in black robes with red clouds!"


	45. Chapter 45

Ch 45

I warped into the Village Hidden in the Sand via the warp panel in the Kazekage office. Kankuro was waiting. "You're back? Did you capture the Regis?"

I shook my head, "That would be an involved process. What's going on here?"

Kankuro gestured outside the nearest window but nothing was outside. I turned to look back at him and he pointed up so I looked out and up. Gaara was airborne, giant arms of sand grasping for a giant white bird with cartoonish features. Without turning away I asked, "Do we know what this guy does?"

Before Kankuro could answer a giant explosion went off somewhere above us where I couldn't see. "That," he answered, "and he's used smaller versions than the bird to take out our scouts and I don't know what else."

I turned around and strode towards the door. "Figure that out and I'll get up there to help Gaara."

The Kazekage building was built in the shape of an orb, meaning most of the rooms and hallways were circular. I ran through the office door and then to the stairways, which wrapped around the inside of the outer wall. The sounds of battle turned my veins to ice and the explosions above shook the entire building as I ran. If this assailant was anything like Itachi, then I couldn't afford to be anything other than lethal to defend Gaara.

The battle had already gone off ground when I'd been in the office, but it had progressed to dizzying heights in the minute it had taken me to run outside. I summoned Jiton and leapt onto his head. My metagross ducked down a bit and then shoved us off and up into the air. Brash, Gaara's Aerodactyl, swooped down and snatched me off Jiton's back, so I recalled my Pokémon to his scroll.

Brashturned on a dime and ascended with breakneck speed, folded its wings and threw me up. I reached the peak of my ascent just behind a blonde man in an Akatsuki cloak. With the utmost silence I grabbed his head and savagely twisted it around so he looked over his right shoulder at an unnatural angle.

He smirked as we made eye contact. He had blonde hair up in a ponytail with bangs that hung over his left eye and blue eyes with pupils that seemed unnaturally wide. A hidden stone headband adorned his head with a slash through the symbol. This man was not well in the head. "Art… is an explosion!" he cried before turning into that odd white clay.

One of Shukaku's arms swept me up and held me tight, shielding me from the blast. The arm pulled me back and released me inside Gaara's defense orb. "This man has made it clear to me that he is not above attacking the village to get to me. I'll focus on keeping his bombs trained on me while you kill him." He growled, "The village is counting on us Brendan!"

I reached for the sealing tattoos on the inside of my right arm and unsealed the ninja sword "Splash" which was more like a club with explosive tags than an actual sword and unsealed Raiton with my free hand. "Raiton can help you neutralize the clay we don't want to explode and I'll handle the douche himself."

Gaara nodded and Raiton charged electricity in affirmation. "Fastball special?" I asked with a grin.

As Shukaku's arm clenched me again I summoned a shadow clone and turned into a demon windmill shuriken. Gaara flung me forward right at the Akatsuki agent. I slashed low, aiming for his feet, and he predictably jumped up, dodging my slash while I rigged his bird to blow. As I sped past him I threw the demon windmill at him to keep his attention on me.

Gaara's sand caught me before I began to fall in earnest. The Akatsuki laughed as he caught my shuriken with ease and landed on his bird, "My dossier didn't mention that the Demon of the Hidden Sand would be here too! Must be my lucky day!"

My shadow clone transformed and grabbed him in a sleeper hold. "Not so much," my clone quipped, "you aren't even ready for a little knucklehead ninjutsu. Thank you Naruto!"

"Your tricks don't even compare to my art!" the Akatsuki shouted and small clay spiders crawled onto my clone's shoulders.

"About that," my clone chuckled and pointed down while maintaining the hold, "Boom."

Splash's explosive tags are set off with the tiniest bit of chakra and my clone sent his charka to his feet, triggering the bird itself, the spiders, and totally absorbing this Akatsuki in the blast. "I guess that makes my art better than yours!" I shouted.

Two giant white clay owls burst out from the heart of the explosion in opposite directions, one of them holding the Akastuki in its talons. "No one is better than Deidara at art!" he screeched.

Raiton dashed across a stream of sand to get within range and unleashed a thunderbolt at the owl, negating the earth chakra that animated it, but still the second owl swooped down and picked up this Deidara.

Diedara changed direction as Raiton shot another thunderbolt. My Pokémon's attack came up just short of getting him. "Your lightning has a finite range!" Deidara declared, "I don't!"

He ascended out of range and reached into a pouch in the small of his back. Diedara's cloak was gone, revealing a pair of purple pants, and as his headband fell away I saw some sort of camera over his formerly concealed left eye.

However my distraction had left Gaara time to come up with an attack of his own. The sand that coated the village floor appeared to have been manipulated into solid bricks, but that was only because Gaara had soaked his chakra into every ounce of sand in the village over the course of the past couple of years. The village itself flew up in giant pillars that turned into Shukaku arms, wildly swinging at Deidara as he flew even higher.

A sand clone of Gaara rose out of the cloud I stood on and said, "These guys are supposed to go around in pairs, right Brendan?"

I nodded so Gaara continued, "Then we need to take this guy out _now_ if we want to be able to deal with his partner. Pull out all the stops and kill this guy."

I summoned Katon and pulled my keystone out of my pack, clipping it on my wrist. "Time to go Mega," I said and Katon nodded.

We reached through out bond and began to channel our chakra between us. Our chakra ran together and balanced in the middle of our bond. The collection of energy pulsed as it achieved balance and then exploded back into us, triggering Mega-Evolution. Katon's form changed and my chakra burned under my skin.

We didn't speak because we didn't need to. Katon and I were parts of the same organism. We each picked Shukaku arms on opposite sides of Diedara and ran up their sides. Deidara saw us coming and shoved clay into his own mouth. "Screw the mission and damn your village!" he bellowed through a mouthful, "I'm going to show you the pinnacle of my art!

He spat out a full sized clone of himself, with color, unlike his other clone. Katon and I came at him from either side, "Assassination Art! Double Blaze Kick!" I bellowed.

Katon and I delivered flame swathed drop kicks to both Deidara and his clone respectively. My kick tore through his head with ease and the clone popped like a balloon before he could substitute with it. As I went through the space his clone had occupied the scent of the air changed.

I could feel chakra that wasn't mine enter my body. If the explosion hadn't happened like I expected it then it would occur in some other way. Katon's kick caused a similar thing to happen with what I thought to be the original Deidara. Katon felt the same change in the air that I had and panic gripped me.

We each landed on the opposite Shukaku arm and raced downwards. "Raiton! Hit us!" I shouted.

Raiton hesitated, but by the time we were in range, he hit us with the full force of his thunderbolt attack. Lightning raced through me, and my body screamed in pain, but any earth chakra in my system was purged.

Gaara caught Katon and I with sand, but I couldn't move. The electricity was still racing through my body like I'd been hit with a tazer. "cloud," I managed through gritted teeth and pointed up.

Gaara's eye widened and he formed an orb above us to contain the air. "There's something extra up there!" he exclaimed as I pushed myself up to a kneeling position.

Then the orb… dissolved. "Holy Miltank…" I whispered.

Deidara was perched on his owl far above where the orb had been, panting. "You… evaded my C4?!" he demanded.

"We can't afford to let him do that to the village!" Gaara exclaimed.

"Raiton can't call down a big enough thunderstorm," I wheezed and pushed myself up.

I dropped Splash onto the sand and summoned the Thunder Fangs. "Time to try out my new toys in a precision strike then."

I tossed one of the fangs to Katon, who charged it with chakra and we ran up the Shukaku arms again. Deidara's eyes widened and he ripped something on his chest, revealing what I thought to be a tattoo to be another mouth complete with freaky twisting tongue.

He shoved clay into his chest and Katon's Speed Boost kicked in, making us faster than Deidara had counted on. We reached him as his veins started to turn black and shoved the Thunder Fangs into his heart, dispelling the jutsu. "But-" Deidara stammered, "My art is an explosion."

"Neat trick," I rasped and ripped the explosive clay pouch from his belt, "I think I'll take it for my own."

"What?" Deidara's eyes began to close as the Thunder Fangs tore him apart, "No!"

I twisted the blade, ending him, and snarled, "I'll use something as evil as this if it means saving the world."

We started to fall, but Gaara caught us and carried us down to the roof of the Kazekage building. When we landed Kankuro ran up to us and I returned Katon to his scroll, canceling the Mega-Evolution. My chakra went back to normal, and Raiton grabbed both the Thunder Fangs and attached their hilts so he could use them like a tiny bo staff. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Raiton pointed behind Kankuro and a ninja flickered into sight there. He was either very short or somehow deformed with a large, but squat body wearing an Akatsuki cloak and a scrap of cloth over his mouth with six odd strands of hair that stuck out and over his head from the base of his neck. "Company," I hissed and reached for Splash.

I picked it up at great personal strain and leaned the "blade" on my shoulder. My muscles would allow one swing before they shredded after the thunderbolt though so I had to be careful. "You killed Deidara," he hissed.

Gaara had a sharp intake of breath. "I know you… from Chiyo's files," he said, "That hair is distinct. Hiruko to human puppet."

My heart thudded in my chest. If this guy was from Chiyo's files that meant he could be no other than Sasori of the Red Sand. I shouldn't have ended the Mega Evolution. "Kankuro- take point," I wheezed, "I have your back."

Kankuro summoned Number 1, his Bannette, and then his three puppets: Crow, Ant and Salamander. Kankuro hit his Mega-Bracelet and Number 1 Mega Evolved. Puppet master vs. puppet master. Raiton spun the Thunder Fangs over his head, sending electricity through the air, and gave a battle cry.

Hiruko lifted his left arm and ten pieces of wood fired out, each one splitting to reveal sealing jutsu scrawled on the insides. "Get down!" Gaara cried and raised a sand barrier, but even Gaara's sand wasn't fast enough to stop all the senbon Hiruko had fired at us.

One scratched my left cheek and a horribly sour scent hit me like a wall. I'd encountered the scent before during my travels of Kalos when fighting another ninja-trainer named Koga. "That's Arbok venom…" I mumbled as the world got fuzzy.

I turned to see that Kankuro had shielded himself with Salamander, but Banette was sinking to the ground and Gaara was staring dumbstruck at his own chest, which was riddled with senbon needles. The world got fuzzy. "Oh no…" I moaned as the venom took hold.

I dropped Splash and Raiton dropped the Thunder Fangs. As I fell over he tapped my head and tried to push me back up, but the world went black.


	46. Chapter 46

Ch 46

I came back to the waking world in a hospital bed. Before I'd even opened my eyes I recognized the smell. The smell of cleanliness shouldn't bug you but hospitals are full of sick people and you're usually not there if you're not sick, hurt, or worried about someone who is those things. Hospitals aren't usually places that play host to high points in a person's life so the scent can be unsettling. And as nice as closing your eyes and pretending you're not in a hospital is eventually you have to open your eyes and deal with the fact that you're there.

When I opened my eyes the brightness of the room hurt, but I recognized three people: Temari, Sakura and none other than Naruto. "What are you doing here knucklehead?" I wheezed.

Temari spun around and despite the fierce glint in her eyes she couldn't stop her trembling lip. "Hey gorgeous," I chuckled, "so I'm not dead. That's pretty awesome considering how I went down."

Naruto laughed boisterously, "Told you he'd be fine!"

Temari grabbed my hand and squeezed. Sakura cleared her throat, "You gave me quite the scare, but the poison was handled easily enough with Lady Tsunade's training."

I bowed my head and said, "Thank you."

It got quiet for a second and then I asked, "So… how did the battle go?"

"Sasori pushed Gaara and Kankuro to their limit but then Granny Chiyo herself showed up," Temari answered, "Gaara covered Kankuro as she healed him and then they renewed their assault. Everyone's fine."

"I think I may have left some… things on the battlefield," I said carefully, "any chance someone could pick 'em up?"

"The Seven Ninja Swords?" Naruto asked.

"There was a merchant from the Hidden Mist in town," Temari explained, "Word's gotten out. Nothing you did but you'll have to be more careful. The Mist has officially declared you an S-class threat and put out a bounty for you."

She reached under my bed and handed me Splash and the Thunder Fangs, which I sealed away promptly. "Anything I need to know doc?" I asked Sakura.

"You should take it easy for a few days," she insisted, "but Lord Gaara wants you to report in whenever you're able."

Temari's face darkened. "Sasori used some sort of mind control jutsu on Yura. He let the Akastuki into the village and massacred the wall guards. We're at an all-time low in terms of personnel."

"We need the Regis," I muttered.

"We're here to help you," Naruto declared, "even though we arrived too late to help with the battle against the Akatsuki. Granny Tsunade wants us to show our support."

I nodded and stood up out of the bed. Temari went to help me stand, but I gently pushed her away so I could get my own balance. "I'm fine. Doc says I'm fine."

Concern flashed over Sakura's face, but she remained silent. I grabbed my clothes, teetered into the restroom and pulled them on as quickly as possible. When I came out with the facemask Naruto pointed and sniggered, "It's cause he has pointy teeth!"

"All the better to eat you with, my dearie," I said as I stepped out into the hallway where Kakashi was waiting.

He was nose deep in his pervy book, but fell into step with me effortlessly. "Steven sends his regards," he drawled, "and a request for you not to do anything stupid."

I glared at him and demanded, "What am I supposed to say to that?"

Kakashi closed his book and held up his hands in surrender, "Don't kill the messenger."

Temari caught up with me and linked out fingers together. She glared a reprimand until I tilted my head in acknowledgement of leaving her behind and then huffed as we left the hospital. Outside was a host of bigger issues.

The streets had to be packed back down after Gaara used them so workers were using chakra hammers to punish the sand back down, but in the mean time the people of the village were slogging through the sand to get to partially covered doorways to their homes and places of employment. Shinobi dashed every which direction tending to the defenses of the village and people were staring as I exited the hospital.

People knew me here. The Mist and the Lightning called me a demon, but I'd built a trainer's school here, protected the village, and integrated Pokémon into the everyday lives of the villagers. They counted on me and it worried them that the Akatsuki had gotten the jump on me. It was understandable, but it wasn't like I could just talk to them about how the Sasori that had shown up was actually Sasori of the red sand. The only thing to do was to get back to work.

So I leapt onto the nearest roof and made a beeline for the Kazekage building. Gaara was waiting on the roof. He snapped his fingers and Temari's team ran up from below to stand behind him. "What do you need to capture the Regis?" he asked.

"I've got my team managing and monitoring the Regi temples," I said, "Get me some powerful pokescrolls and some backup."

Gaara nodded and turned to Drasna, "Get Kankuro. Tell him I need the Ultra Scrolls."

Drasna ran down the stairs. "Those are ready?" I asked, "How long was I out?"

Sakura landed behind me and chastised, "A week. You shouldn't be pushing yourself this hard. I've never seen internal scarring like you have right now. It was almost like you'd been struck by lightning as well as poisoned."

I grinned and chuckled, "Well, Raiton is small but damn it all he sure can zap a motherfucker. Disarmed tiny bombs that had been put inside my body."

"Well if the rest of the Akatsuki are anything like Itachi then then that could well have been possible," Kakashi commented.

"You're ignoring my point!" Sakura nearly screeched.

I tapped my chin thoughtfully, "Yes. I am."

A scary amount of chakra emanated from Sakura and Naruto cowered away from her. "She's scary strong now Brendan. Maybe don't."

Kankuro jumped up to the top with Drasna in tow. He put three larger than average pokescrolls with a yellow stripe surrounded by two purple stripes. Drasna kneeled down to the one on the far right and opened it so I could look at the seal work. The seal had been designed to take a moderate amount of force and reapply it back at its intended capture. It wouldn't stop a legendary at full power but it stood a chance if that legendary had been considerably weakened.

I rolled the ultra-scroll back up and said, "I can make this work if I've got back up."

"What about your team?" Gaara asked.

"They're watching each of the Regi temples at the moment," I responded, "ensuring that nobody gets close to them unless we want them to. I'll need more than just one per Regi if we want them under our control."

Gaara bit his lip and looked at Kakashi. "I know Lady Tsunade didn't ask you to help us any more than you already have, but with these Pokémon my village can be secure. Will you help us?"

Naruto stepped forward and nodded vehemently, "I'm dying to show Brendan that I've improved since Battle Chateau. We should help them."

"Well clearly you're unbiased," Kakashi sighed, "but yeah… we were sent to help and it sounds like you could use the help. Can't hurt to try to mend fences with Brendan either."

I turned to Temari and Kankuro to ask, "You two can hold down the fort, right?"

Temari summoned Pidgeot, her strongest Pokémon, and huffed, "Like that's even a question. Get going."

I grabbed the first ultra scroll and tossed it to Naruto, tossed the second to Sakura and the third to Kakashi. "Well then let's go."

I ducked down the stairs into the Kazekage building and then Gaara's office. I stepped onto the teleportation pad and asked, "Lanette, you there?"

A familiar voice filtered through the intercom, "You know it boss."

I cracked my neck and hopped up and down to get limber before saying "Send me and Team 7 to the underwater temple, kay?"

Light flashed and Team seven and I appeared back in the undersea temple. "Teleportation jutsu?" Kakashi asked.

I shrugged, "Something like that."

"Allies are supposed to share things," Kakashi reprimanded, "Don't you think I'm worth more than empty fallacies?"

"This is a secret, under water Temple about an hour off the shore of the Land of Waves," I quipped, "and it can unlock up to four legendary Pokémon. I'm sharing this with you. Pokenavs work down here."

Sakura flipped her nav open and whistled. "Holy shit…"

I turned around in the door of the temple and asked, "Can I know what we're working with here? Tactically speaking?"

Sakura shrugged and summoned a Delcatty, Exploud, Audino and Ursarang. "You already know Flower and Tantrum, but meet Nurse and Teddy," she pointed at the Audino and Ursarang at the last two names respectively.

They eyed me but didn't move on me. "Well trained," I noted, "Excellent."

Naruto summoned a familiar Lucario, Plusle, Ninetails, Politoed, and Ivysaur. I whistled because when we'd met up during Jiraiya's training Shinrin had only been a Bulbasaur and Kyuryu had been a lowly Poliwag. Kasai ran over to run its head under my hand, effectively petting itself while Kage dashed over to give me a hug. "Whoa there guys," I chuckled, "We'll make Naruto jealous."

I took another look at the Plusle and it positively shuddered with excitement. Sparky had decided to run with Naruto after May was murdered. It hadn't been immediate, but by the time we'd met up in Kalos Sparky was positively entrenched in Naruto's strategy.

It charged up the side of my leg and snatched Raiton's scroll from my bag before summoning her friend. Raiton and Sparky touched tails before dancing around me cheering. "Some things don't change," Sakura said quietly.

I didn't believe that. No point in ruining a good moment though, so I patted Kage's head while stroking Kasai's fur. "Whatcha got?" I asked Kakashi.

Kakashi summoned a pack of eeveelutions. Esperon, Sylveon, Umbreon, Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon. The perfect set of Pokémon for the copycat ninja. They worked with his ninja dogs and no doubt they ran support moves for every occasion. Trust a jonin to be able to handle their shit. I nodded to him and gently pressed Kage away. "Let's get to work then."

I walked into the temple with Sparky and Raiton climbing up my back to stand on either shoulder. The other ninja filed in to see me staring at the button. "The guardian of this place told me that this button will unleash a cataclysm. Be ready for anything."

"Why would we unleash a cataclysm?" Kakashi asked carefully.

"To awaken the Legendary Golems," I answered and stepped onto the switch.

When the stone clicked into the floor the entire Temple shook and three loud booms sounded far off in the distance. "That would be the other temples," I assured, "I think."

"Are you sure he's right in the head Sakura?" Naruto asked.

The rumbling stopped and I heard water begin to fall down on top of the temple. "Uh oh."

I pulled the teleport panel into the Temple and shouted, "Lanette! Take us to Regirock's Temple! This place is going down!"

Light flashed and we were gone.


	47. Chapter 47

Ch 47

The warp panel threw us into a stone wall. I leapt up to my feet and surveyed the area. Diantha was standing in front of Regirock, which was monochrome in the middle of the room. "What happened?" Naruto demanded.

Diantha spun around and held a finger to her mouth to shush him, and then turned back to Regirock. "This is it, but I don't understand… this thing doesn't have any chakra, but it has to be the legendary golem."

"Report everything else," I rasped.

Diantha jogged over to us and gave me the once over. "What happened? You're all beat up."

"Report," I insisted, "The rest can wait."

Diantha gestured up, "the Temple is about eighty feet tall, and about 50 feet in circumference. It looks just like a random rock sticking out of the desert, but I used my chakra to find a weak point in the wall," she pointed behind us to a circular opening in the rock, "Broke down the door. I was starting to catalogue everything when the entire structure shook, so I threw down the warp panel and started double checking for damage. Nothing interesting."

Beige and red coloring began to bleed up from the floor and into Regirock. "I need you to go back to the village and then to your teammates. The Regis are about to trigger. Let them know we're on our way."

She saluted and ran over to the warp panel. "Look alive," I barked and pointed to the legendary Pokémon. "This thing is NOT gonna be thrilled with us being here. Our job is to weaken, not destroy," I pointed at Naruto, "I don't need you goin' all spaztastic right now, okay?"

Naruto summoned Kage and they both made a shadow clone, "We've got this."

The seven dots on the face of the golem lit up red and it shuffled forward, sending the dust that covered it every which direction. I summoned Raiton and unsealed Splash. "Helping Hand," I muttered.

Raiton cheered for me with electric pom-poms, and dashed towards the enemy pokemon. It swung one of the collections of rocks that served as an arm at me, but I ducked under it and left paper bombs all along their undersides.

As I stood up behind Regirock, I triggered the tags, destroying the arm. Regirock's eyes flashed going from up to down, and the temple floor cracked and shattered beneath it. "I think you made it mad," Kakashi noted.

The pieces of rock beneath Reigrock floated up an attached themselves to the body of the enemy pokemon. "Whoa!" Naruto shouted, "It can make new arms."

Regirock floated into the air, and additional rocks flew out of the ground to float around it. "It can heal and I made it mad," I groaned, "two birds… one rock."

"Did you just pun?!" Sakura demanded.

Regirock beeped like one of Lanette's computers, its eyes flashed again, and the rocks flew at me. The first rock came at my right hip, which I parried away, I was able to duck under the second rock which was going for my head, and even the third rock I dodged by turning mid air, but the fourth slammed into my kidney, taking the air out of me.

The rock carried me into the wall, where a barrage of smaller stones slammed into me like hail. When I turned back to look at Regirock it had formed a giant orange ball of chakra between its rocky arms, which it moved to hold over its head. "Uh oh."

Panic raced through me, but it wasn't mine. Raiton was pushing utter terror through our bond to me, and I'd felt that terror before. "Tailed Beast chakra?" I asked him.

However Raiton was absolutely beside himself with terror, and I didn't have the time to dodge Regirock's attack. The orange ball flew into me, shredding muscle and shattering bone, leaving me crumpled up against the wall of the temple. Pain roared through me and I fell unconscious. However, I had a failsafe in place for such an event.

My fading chakra was no longer able to manage the weakened seal I'd placed on Jiton's scroll, so it summoned him. My shiny Metagross poured chakra into me, pulling me back from the brink and forcing his traits upon me. My bones didn't scream with agony and my muscles faded to be replaced by die cast iron. My mind woke and Jiton's psychic powers gave me full autonomy. "Not today," I rasped.

Regirock beeped at me, and then generated a rock wall between me and it. Jiton began to panic too, and I felt the tailed beast chakra in the walls themselves. I couldn't return Jiton to his scroll and maintain my altered forme, but neither could I allow my pokemon's fear to utterly overwhelm me. The battle needed to end as soon as possible.

I focused my chakra in my massive steel arms then pushed it out, forming a small metal meteor, which I flung at the wall and then delivered a devastating blow to, shattering the meteor and sending the shards through the wall.

The holes were just big enough for me to see through. Naruto had driven Regirock into a corner with a Rasengan, but the enemy pokemon just summoned more rocks from below to replace its mass and repair itself. "This thing is _strong_!" Naruto shouted.

"Don't lose control!" Kakashi demanded, "We'll find a way to get Brendan back in the game."

The holes I'd created started to close as the rocks shifted position, but Sakura ran over to look through the hole at me. "I recognize that form from the Chunin Exams!" she exclaimed.

In rough shape, I projected, but it's not anything I can't handle later.

The hole closed and the tailed beast chakra cut me off from Sakura. I stood back molded my chakra into another meteor when the temple shook from some kind of blow on the other side. Jiton's panic and my own came together to squeeze my heart. I shook, losing control as my chakra unraveled, and the meteor fell at my feet where it exploded.

My metallic form was heavy enough that I didn't move overmuch, but the chamber continued to shake on the other side of the wall. With dramatic cracking, the wall dividing the temple shattered and Sakura ran past the barrier even as it rebuilt itself. "How bad are you?" she demanded, "I've got medical training from Tsunade herself."

It has to wait until the fight is over, I insisted, the village needs Regirock.

"You… you're afraid," Sakura muttered, "I can hear it in your voice."

Regirock is using tailed beast chakra. I was barely keeping Jiton's utter terror from flooding my brain, The fear is contagious. It's gonna get to me soon. I need to fight.

Sakura pushed me back, and pulled one of my metallic legs out from under me. "Then let me take care of you and seal your pokemon away. Trust me."

I closed my eyes, let go of Jiton's traits, and sealed him away as the pain started. The world went black instantly. There was warmth in the black though. I didn't feel alone. A firm, but gentle hand guided what broken back into place and with a touch was made it new. What could be saved of my pulverized insides was reused and what was not was replaced.

I came back to when Sakura was closing my chest with ninja wire. "That was a little touch and go for a minute there," she bit her lip, "we need to not get hit by that ever again."

"It's using tailed beast chakra," I explained.

She gave me a look, "I know. You told me. How much do you remember?"

"No tailed beast though," I rolled my eyes, "It's going to run low if it does that too often."

"So we just need to outlast it," Sakura snapped her fingers and helped me to my feet.

I tried to stand up, but my core almost shredded again. Pain ran up and down my insides again and Sakura chided, "You're not moving any time soon Brendan. Lean on me and instruct us."

She held her fist back and slammed it into the wall, using her chakra to cause an explosion, knocking down the wall again. She demolished it without putting her body into it. I couldn't tear my eyes from her. Maybe the rumors of Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength weren't exaggerated. "I know Naruto and I aren't as skilled as you or Gaara," she continued, "but I'm a chunin now and Naruto isn't half so thick as he used to be. Guide me like a pokemon."

We stepped into the main temple and found a raggedy Naruto and Kakashi facing down Regirock. "Bout time you got back," Naruto wheezed, "This pokemon ain't normal, believe it!"

Raiton leapt under my arm so I sealed him away and turned back to the battle. "Okay. We can do this, just follow my instructions. Naruto I need you to keep it busy for a minute. Kakashi get over here."

Naruto filled the temple with clones and Kakashi weaved his way through the throngs to get to us. I pulled a Naruto clone over to me and held myself up on him. "It's using Tailed Beast charka, but it's got a finite time period of use," I said, "So we need to wear it down until we can capture it."

"How do we do that?" the Naruto clone asked.

"Regirock is a rock type. In the absence of pokemon moves, we'll have to rely on lightning nature chakra," I said slowly, "and Sakura's punches, which seem to break it down. That move we saw that took me down was called Superpower. Naruto needs to use his clones to absorb those for us."

Kakashi and Sakura nodded to each other and Naruto gave me a thumbs-up. "Leave it to team 7!"

I pulled the ultra-scroll out of my pack and nodded, "I'll wait for the right moment."

Sakura leapt up above Regirock and brought her fist down, disappearing amongst the Narutos. Giant chunks of rock flew up off the ground with her blow, and though she retreated back, some of the rocks followed her before wheeling back to rebuild the enemy pokemon.

Orange light flashed and the far side of the temple was suddenly filled with the smoke of a hundred destroyed Narutos. Kakashi raced across the temple floor, dodging rocks that levitated up to block him and danced into Regirock, shoving his arm into the enemy pokemon.

Regirock beeped and its arms wrapped around Kakashi, hugging him close. Sakura dropped down on Regirock again before it could crush her sensei. Kakashi jumped backwards and away with Sakura in tow while Narutos swarmed the enemy.

Light flashed from under the Naruto pile and the clones dissolved. "That one hurt less than the last," he whispered.

I grinned, "You've been practicing. That tip help?"

"It's getting easier to remember what my clones did," Naruto nodded, "and I'm wasting less chakra every day."

I undid the seal on the ultra-scroll. "One more and let's attempt capture."

"One more time!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi dashed by Regirock, using his Lightning Blade to slash at Regirock's arms as Sakura delivered a devastating blow to its body. "Oh yeah!" Naruto shouted.

I swung my arm out and the scroll flew at Regirock. When the scroll made contact it sped away from me to wrap around the enemy pokemon. As the scroll ran out of paper it seethed with Regirock's attempt to excape, but ultimately the scroll began to retract in a poof of white smoke. "Capture: success," I wheezed.

"We need to get you back to the Village Hidden in the Sand," Sakura insisted, inserting herself under my arm.

Sakura and Naruto carried me over to the warp panel and I watched them. They had gotten stronger in two years than I would have given them credit for being capable of. It must have been to retrieve Sasuke and if I hadn't already been so tired I probably would have felt guilty, but hopefully when Sasuke brought down Orochimaru they'd find it in their hearts to let the lie go.

Before we reached the panel Temari teleported in the way. She had her fan in her hands and Fuuton, her Pidgeot, had her wings spread so she would look bigger. My dearest had death in her eyes until she focused on me. Then the strangest thing happened. Her expression flashed from relief to concern to blood thirsty again. "What the actual fuck were you thinking?!" she shrieked.

I showed her the scroll and said, "We won? Does that help?"

She batted the scroll out of my hand to land on the ground and she grabbed the sides of my head. "Nothing is more important to me than you," she asserted, "nothing."

"I couldn't have known the golem would be powered by tailed beast chakra," I tried.

Temari, who usually only had the big talks behind closed doors pulled my forehead to hers, glared, and whispered, "You should have run. I'm taking you back. Kankuro is handling the rest of this mission."

She pulled me onto the pad and we teleported back to Gaara's office. Gaara, Kankuro, and my team were standing around the desk. She set me down on a nearby chair and pointed a finger in Kankuro's face. "You're up. I'm taking him back to the hospital."

Gaara gave me a wide-eyed glance so I said, "Regirock was powered by Tailed Beast chakra. I almost died again."

Kankuro chuckled, "Well that does explain the crazy eyes-"

Temari pointed her fan in his face and snarled wordlessly. Kankuro gulped and continued, "Imma go figure out the rest of 'em."

As Kankuro stepped onto the panel I said, "Don't forget Team Kakashi."

Kankuro disappeared, and Temari pulled me up over her shoulder. I could have carried my own weight, but it would have made the fight worse, so I let her carry me. She brought me into the hospital and back to the bed I'd started the day in. As I laid down her glare softened. "You made me a promise."

I nodded, "No more dead friends."

She sat down next to me in bed, caressed my cheek, and held eye contact. "And what did I tell you?" she asked.

"It's more important to stay alive you big, dumb idiot," I recite.

"You are a big, dumb idiot," she whispered and brushed her lips across mine, "now go to sleep."

I did. It was good.


	48. Chapter 48

Ch 48

Mokuton and I stood surrounded by six fainted Blissey in the Hidden Sand Pokémon gym. "What was our time?" I called out.

Nurse Joy tossed me a stop watch and set about resealing her Blissey to their scrolls. It had taken me five minutes to knock out all six of the nurse Pokémon. A bad taste filled my mouth and I handed the nurse back her watch. "You know what would really help?" she asked.

"Berry Juice smoothies?" I playfully inquired.

"Me calling Lady Temari so she can hit you over the head and drag you back to bed," Nurse Joy was a nice lady, but she could stare daggers like an angry Seviper, "Go lay down."

My shoulders sagged, "But I don't like staying still."

The nurse's patience ran out and she summoned the gym's messenger Swellow with a whistle. "You're going down. To sleep."

"Perhaps a bit later," Kankuro declared as he strolled in, "He's got a meeting."

Joy sent the Swellow and flipped us off. "He better have it in bed by the time Lady Temari reaches the hospital."

Kankuro and I didn't even share a look, we just bolted, with Mokuton in tow. We ricocheted off the buildings on our way to the hospital and went through the window I'd left open. I threw off my training gear while Mokuton lifted up the sheets of the bed. Right as my Pokémon pulled the sheets over me Temari burst into the room with narrowed eyes, followed by Lanette and Suigetsu.

My girlfriend paused upon entering the room, and let out an approving hum. Lanette ushered Suigetsu in and said, "The Hozuki has returned with news."

Temari sat down on my bed next to me and mused, "This ought to be good."

Before Suigetsu could say anything, Temari sniffed, and touched my forehead, finding sweat. She leaned over to my ear and whispered, "If I hear you leave this bed again without my permission… I'll make what Naruto did to you in the Tower of Mastery look like a grade-school squabble."

While Temari and I had been roaming Kalos we bumped into Jiraiya and Naruto. Jiraiya had thought that the Tower of Mastery might help Naruto master the tailed beast chakra sealing inside him. The Mega-Evolution Guru thought it could be interesting. The Ninetails had nearly taken about half of my organs out of me, so the experiment was neither helpful nor interesting and in fact I might even say it was unhelpful and mind-numbingly horrifying.

I nodded and laid back. Suigetsu shrugged. "Only two blades left. Hiramekarei and Shark Skin. One in the heart of the Hidden Mist in the hands of Chojuro, an aide to the Mizukage herself, and the other in the hands of Kisame Hoshigaki, a member of the Akatsuki and partner to Itachi Uchiha. You've got a rock and a hard place to deal with."

I nodded to Lanette, who stuck a frost kunai into Suigetsu's back, freezing his watery form. "Lock him up," I said, "If I need him I'll release him."

Lanette summoned one of her Machoke, who picked up Suigetsu under its arm, and they left, leaving me, Temari, Kankuro and Mokuton. "I've got plans for Kisame," I told them, "based on what Itachi's passed me along."

"And Chojuro?" Temari asked, "You'd have to be really careful."

"I'm not going to start a war," I assured them, "Hiramekarei is off limits for now. If Chojuro goes rogue then I'll know and I'll be the one to find him first."

"Lisia checks on him regularly, right?" Kankuro asked, "When she goes home to do a contest?"

"They exchange letters," I corrected, "She says he is fastidiously loyal to the Lady Mizukage," I bit my thumb, "I may have to wait a long time to get my hands on that one. Word is that this Mizukage isn't going to go crazy."

"Good for them," Temari bobbed her head, "ought to be more kunoichi like that."

"She's allowing Team Aqua to hide out there," I reminded, "As her "Pokémon experts," which is distressing."

Kankuro gave me a look, "I caught the other three Regis. I'm incorporating them to my team and the village defense system. We're ahead in this game."

I gestured to my training equipment, and the Mega Bracelet therein. "I've been looking to acquire more key stones. Sent some ANBU."

"They encountered Mist Ninja in the Land of Grass," Temari laid her head back next to mine, "but our people weren't seen and got to the key stone shrine. However, Mizukage is doing favors for Archie."

"Brings us up to seven extra key stones though," I noted, "enough for our students and a spare to send to Zinnia for her projects."

"Any word on Amber or Blaise?" Kankuro asked.

"No word is the best kind of word for deep cover operatives," I put an arm around Temari's shoulders and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"The Elite Four sent another message today," she growled, "Steven wants into the village. He said it was to train gym leaders for the Land of Wind, but I denied him."

Gaara knocked and strolled into the room. "Good to see you resting," he cleared his throat, "Five minutes to take down six measly Blissey really is deplorable. This is what you need."

My friend and boss handed me a scroll with the symbol of the Hidden Mist. I unfurled it and skimmed it. "A friendly request to repossess several "Heritage items" of their village," Gaara explained.

I went to the bottom of the message and drew the Team Aqua symbol, followed by a chibi-me slicing it in half with the Executioner's Blade. Gaara raised an eyebrow at me so I scratched them both out, and then asked, "How should I respond if not with a threat?"

"A veiled threat," Temari offered, and drew Archie's head with an "X" for each eye.

"This is why you're perfect," I murmured and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "How was Team Kakashi?"

Gaara nodded, "They seemed content with their efforts. Naruto in particular was thrilled to quiz me about being a kage. It was good to impress him."

Lanette burst into the room, chest heaving with effort. "The _Dragoness_ and the _Raven_ are waiting for a discussion with you," she panted, "back _home_. Big Meeting with the _Slug_."

I nodded, turned to Temari, and asked, "Can I get out of bed? My friends want to play."

She got up, and I pushed myself out of bed, pulling on training equipment as Mokuton handed it to me. As soon as I was dressed I recalled Mokuton, and we left for the Kazekage's office, leaving Kankuro in charge of the village. A quick warp and we were in my Secret Base. Lanette sprinted out of the warp chamber and to a nearby house, where Tsunade, Itachi, and Zinnia sat around a table. Gaara, Temari, and I sat down with them.

Tsunade took a pull of sake and pointed her cup at me. "This swill ain't all bad. Heard you had a rough go of it with the fights."

I pulled up my shirt to show the bruises, and she made a frustrated noise. "Sakura, for all her effort, is still a bit off on the nature of ribs."

She poked my lowest left rib, a middle right rib, and top right, each poke with the force of a punch, making horrible cracking noises each time. I took a deep breath expecting pain, but none came. The air came out of me slowly and I closed my eyes with relief. A moment passed and I took my first full breath in a week. "That's… you're the best for a reason."

She shrugged, "Not all of us can be assassins."

"This body has a limited amount of time," Itachi commented, "I'd like to discuss everything before I dissipate."

We all nodded, so he continued, "The latest in Akatsuki intel is that Orochimaru is about to switch bodies in the next couple of months. It's time to retrieve my little brother. I don't know where he is."

I waved his concern away. "I've got it covered. One of my people inside Magma managed to send me a map of Orochimaru's hideouts. They move regularly, so it's just a question of which base he's in."

Zinnia grinned and placed a folded piece of paper. "I got a guy inside one of Orochimaru's prisons telling me what he can observe. They move at regular intervals, but there's a pattern to the movements. I just had to pretend to be a genin and take a wrong turn at various bases over the past year. They're in the base by the Village Hidden in the Grass right now."

Gaara and Tsunade locked eyes. "How do you want to do this?" he asked.

"Brendan meets with my troops at a rendezvous of his choosing," she started, "We force our way in. Brendan triggers Sasuke and then they play it by ear."

Lanette's pokenav began beeping with a telephone call, so she stepped out of the room. "That sounds good," I reassured, "I'll keep my students in training at the village if that's okay with you."

Tsunade nodded, "You guys do what you have to. I'll cover you. We have an alliance."

Lanette came back in and whispered, "Devon weather institute is under attack. It's Aqua."

"Problems?" Itachi asked.

"Aqua is attacking the weather institute," I answered, "It's nothing Temari and our teams can't handle."

I looked to her and said, "You hit 'em hard, kay?"

Gaara huffed angrily. "We'll be vulnerable. It's a gamble, but it's not something we can allow, even right now."

"You've got the Regis," Tsunade countered, "You'll be fine."

"Kankuro has managed to bond with the lesser golems," Gaara admitted, "but Regigigas remains a problem. It's too strong to train anywhere near the village. We're restricted yet."

Zinnia shook her head. "It's not a problem. Those three are strong enough to take Groudon or Kyogre on their own. More than a match for the Akatsuki as they are now."

"What does that mean?" I asked nervously.

"I've blocked the attempts to recruit Pokémon trainers up till now, but…" Itachi trailed off, "I'm now the minority. The rest of the organization has already picked out Diedara and Sasori's replacements. They're being tested by Kisame as we speak. It's crunch time. We've all got work to do."

Itachi's clone dissolved into smoke. I projected a map onto a nearby wall with my pokenav, and zoomed in on a bridge in the Land of Grass. "This place is relatively well traveled by merchants," I said, "Tenchi Bridge."

Zinnia nodded, "I'll gather Team Kakashi and meet you there. Get there and rest."

I looked to Temari and she sighed, "Give him a few days then. No major physical activity."

Tsunade grunted, "Not so fast. Kakashi told me Naruto was close to losing it against Registeel. I want to assign an additional man to your squad Zinnia. An ANBU who I'm quite sure can handle Naruto's… outbursts."

"A six man squad should be more than capable of triggering Sasuke," I assured her, "and knowing Orochimaru, we may want Naruto there if shit hits the fan. That's not my concern."

"What is?" Gaara asked.

I looked down at the table and sighed, "I've lied to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi about Sasuke for a long time by staying silent. They may not forgive me for that."

"He'll come around," Zinnia insisted, "He's a good guy. You and Sasuke have done more than most to fight Magma, Aqua, and the Akatsuki."

Gaara nodded, "This is a big move with the chance to end Orochimaru's threat to both of our villages," he paused and then asked, "Can I get you to say it, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade took a deep breath and made eye contact with me, "If you get a shot at my old teammate you should kill him. No questions. No chances at redemption. Kill him."

I nodded. "Done. How do we handle Sasuke himself?"

"Debrief him here with Team Kakashi," Tsunade replied, "Send me the report so I can inform my shinobi. Then Team Kakashi can take him back to the village to a warm reception."

I shared a look with Zinnia and she nodded knowingly. It would be her job to inform them of my deception and the reasons behind it. We were friends. She would be as kind to both them and me as possible.

Gaara stood up and rapped his fist on the table. "Well then I do believe that was everything. Let's go to war with the Hidden Sound."

We each stood up and went our separate ways. Temari and I went to the meditation chamber with the Waterfall of Truth. Each of our student was meditating with their pokemon around them. "Urgent Mission," I said, "You're all going with Temari, right now."

Temari stood next to me and nodded. "We're going to the weather institute. It's under attack by Team Aqua. Let me be absolutely clear here: they are dangerous and at least one of them is capable of Mega-Evolution. Fight to kill. Prep for war."

Their eyes steeled and they dashed out of the cavern to the armory. Temari and I followed. I ditched my training gear for chainmail, a special black ANBU flak jacket, gloves with metal plates, and boots with metal tips. "You're coming with us sensei?" Diantha asked.

"More than one war launching today," I said, and played with my trademark beanie.

A bit of chakra transformed it to a ceramic ANBU mask that wrapped completely covered my head, bearing the image of a fanged demon with a hidden sand logo on its forehead.

I stared for a moment at my mask before I put it on. It was a promise to be utterly ruthless. When I put it on I wasn't Brendan anymore. I was truly the Demon Hidden in the Sand. Orochimaru was one of the few people I thought was worth making that promise. When I pulled it on all chatter in the armory quieted. They knew I wasn't going to be taking prisoners and it scared them.

I cracked my knuckles, clipped my bag over my chest, and touched the button over the clip, changing the color from green to black. I returned to the warp room and Lanette jumped when she saw me. "Tenchi Bridge," I rasped.

A visible shiver ran down my friend and she rapidly ran her shaking fingers over the teleporter's controls. When the light faded I was inside a Secret Base constructed under a particularly large bush. I transformed my appearance to a very old man and pulled myself out of the bush. Fifty yards away was Tenchi Bridge.

I transformed a kunai into a walking stick and hobbled over to bridge. The bridge's supports were made of metal plating and wires that were painted red with wooden planks comprising the bridge proper. I summoned Suiton, who transformed into a giant Buddha statue with a flat spot to meditate in front of the Buddha's crossed legs.

When I sat down in that spot, Suiton and I began to mix our chakra together, and discreetly mix sand below us. We'd practiced on the maneuver before, and our subtle motions were not easily detectable. As we gently churned the ground beneath us, we reached out to detect Orochimaru's hideout. It twisted underground beneath a large rock about two miles past the bridge.

I couldn't risk making sand beneath them, but I began to move my sand that direction. The work was slow, taking about a full day, but that left me with time to sleep and regain my chakra. Orochimaru wouldn't know what hit him when Zinnia and team Kakashi arrived.

The wait didn't take more than a day. When Kakashi, Zinnia, Naruto, Sakura, and a stranger arrived I was asleep. Suiton nudged me, so I opened my eyes and watched the stranger. "Our ally from the Hidden Sand should be around here somewhere," Zinnia said.

"Nothing around but that ascetic," the stranger noted, "and I don't feel a drop of molded chakra coming from him."

"I bet Gaara sent Brendan to meet us," Naruto chuckled, "and from the first time I met that guy he was up to shenanigans. He may make us look."

I dropped my transformation and transformed Suiton into a typical ANBU sword. No point in games around this kind of opponent. I made my voice deeper than usual when I said, "Lord Brendan is still in recovery from his wounds. I hope you don't mind me."

Naruto blanched and sighed, "First Captain Yamato scary-face and now this guy. This mission is such a mish-mosh. It would be better if someone investing in saving Sasuke was coming along."

I shrugged, "I'm committed to killing Orochimaru."

Kakashi tipped his headband up, stole a glance at me, and then pulled it back down. He knew. Zinnia raised an eyebrow at me along with a smirk, but this Captain Yamato had no earlier reference point. He clapped politely, "Masking your chakra like that was impressive. I wonder if a detector type could find you."

"What can we call you?" Sakura asked.

"Youkai," I answered, "ANBU commander of the Sand."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're officially not the creepiest guy here Captain Yamato. Congratulations."

I shrugged, and said to Yamato, "I've got a special way with children, what can I say?"

Yamato snorted and clapped me on my back. "We're gonna get along just fine."

Kakashi gave me a curious look, but said nothing as his team walked over to me. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Zinnia flipped open her pokenav and dropped a pin over Orochimaru's base. "This is the base we're infiltrating. Find an entrance. Find Sasuke."

I pointed to the area just east of the base. "I've set up a nasty surprise in that area for any unfriendlies. Retreat there and cover your faces if it gets too hot. If you have Go-goggles I recommend you use them in that instance."

Sakura pulled a pair out and hung them around her neck. Naruto checked his bag and sighed in frustration. I pulled out my pair and handed them to him. "I won't need these with my mask. I'll just need them back later."

He nodded reluctantly and pulled them around his neck. Yamato and Kakashi pulled their go-goggles out and gave me a thumbs up. "Let's go get our boy," Zinnia declared.


	49. Chapter 49

Ch 49

As we approached the base I drew Suiton, still transformed into the shape of a sword, and stuck her in the dirt. "If it gets ugly you should retreat behind this marker," I rasped to the group, "the storm will be less severe there."

Kakashi gave me a look, "You make sandstorms?"

"Affirmative," I nodded, "and it's gonna be a mean one. I'll push it into the hideout."

"How long between your trigger and the storm?" Yamato asked.

Suiton could brew and launch a sandstorm in seconds, "Not long enough for them to stop it," I replied, "If I trigger it just run and then come back in when you're acclimated."

"Roger," Sakura grunted.

Naruto made a fist and nodded quietly. "It's time."

I ran towards the rock above the hideout and into the tunnel. There weren't any sentries. That told me that Orochimaru didn't think he'd need them. Only powerhouses in here then. I stopped and looked to Kakashi. "We're in the right place."

He offered me a radio headpiece, which I stuck into my helmet. "When you see someone, let me know," I said into the radio as Naruto, Zinnia, and Sakura sped by.

Yamato stayed by the sword, but gave me a nod. Kakashi ran in, so I followed. We came upon a intersection of tunnels, and I felt Naruto had gone straight, Sakura right, and Zinnia left, so I went left. Kakashi went right, which was a mistake. "Naruto should have a handler," I said over the radio.

He didn't respond through the radio, but rather I could hear him shouting in the distance, proving my point. "Doubling back," Kakashi replied.

I caught up with Zinnia as she was covertly checking small rooms along her hallway. "What I wouldn't give for a Byakugan in one eye," she muttered.

She peeked into one room and I checked the next one. My eye was greeted by another eye, so I kicked the door in, coming face to face with Magma admin Tabitha and two grunts. "Contact. Magma Admin Tabitha. Trigger," I snarled, and Suiton brewed the sandstorm.

Zinnia cursed and ran back the way we'd come, "I'll take care of Sakura!" she shouted.

Tabitha backed up, but I was already moving forward, and pulled a roundhouse kick that sent him spinning. As the Magma grunts moved forward I unsealed the Sewing Needle. With each jab it would leave stitches behind it, so I jabbed through the right grunt's left elbow, and then through the left grunt's right elbow.

They screamed and I pulled my sword back, forcing them together. The next jab went through both of their arms, trying them together, where I ended the stitch. The grunts fell over and I returned my attention to Tabitha just as the sandstorm plunged into Orochimaru's base.

The Magma admin hadn't changed much since I'd last seen him, but he hadn't found a way to replace the right arm I'd taken from him. His beady eyes were filled with rage as he stood up and summoned his Camerupt. That was when Suiton and the sandstorm arrived behind me. "Sandstorms don't affect us!" Tabitha shouted, "We're ground type!"

"Hydro Cannon," I rasped, and Suiton obeyed.

Suiton gathered water inside himself and formed an orb of condensed water in his mouth. To the uninitiated it appeared to be just an orb of water, but I knew it was highly pressurized, so when Suiton released the pressure from one side, the water exploded forth, sending the enemy pokemon backwards into the wall that awaited it, but then Suiton showed some initiative by moving the Hydro Cannon to hit its trainer.

Tabitha was thrown backwards too, but when the attack ended he wobbled up to his feet. "I've got to warn Orochimaru," he grunted, made a hand sign, and dissipated like the heat lines on a hot day.

"Admin has evaded me, captured two grunts," I said to the radio, and we continued with our search.

An explosion went off behind me, so I turned around and ran back. When I reached the cross roads again I stopped and sent sand down either hallway I hadn't already been down. The sand wound gathered into clones, to which I connected my optic nerves. The clone I'd sent down Naruto's hallway was ran over as Naruto came back.

Without missing I beat I dissolved both clones and ran down Sakura's hallway. As I went towards the explosion Naruto ran past me, charging through the sandstorms without pulling up his go-goggles. Even as I ran after him my gut turned to ice. He would _never_ forgive me for the deception I realized.

Even as I mourned Naruto's friendship, I had to run faster to stop Sasuke from doing something fantastically stupid. However lightning arched at me, dancing through the sand, undoing my chakra's manipulation with expert precision. I pulled sand in front of me to form a barrier, which the lightning ripped apart but not through.

Sand manipulation would be of no use against Sasuke, but Suiton was perfect. I sent for her and continued on. The hallway opened up into a crater where Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, were all staring up at the lip of the crater where Sasuke stood between Orochimaru and Kabuto. Zinnia stood between the two parties with a katana drawn, facing Orochimaru.

Heat waves warped and twisted to reveal Tabitha. "The escape route is prepped, my lord," he grunted, "but I am needed elsewhere."

"We're done here anyway," Sasuke drawled.

I stepped out into the crater, formed the tiger seal, and released my chakra's hold over Sasuke. His eyes widened and he locked eyes with me. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in my mindscape. A meadow at dawn with giant stones every which direction, the famous Menhir trail of Kalos, a peaceful image I'd forced upon my mind to help me meditate. Sasuke stood before me in very different clothes, but he had a familiar look on his face.

He waved his arm, and my mask fell away. "You look different," he said, then looked at himself, "but then again, so do I."

I shrugged, "I'm a spymaster… and a bit of a badass. This is your show. What do you need to kill your sensei?"

"Kill Kabuto," he responded, "then back me up."

I stopped the flow of my chakra, ending the conversation, and unsealed the Executioner's Blade. As Sasuke spun and stuck his sword through Orochimaru, everyone gasped, and Kabuto's jaw dropped. I used all my speed to flicker behind Kabuto and cleaved him apart at the waist.

That man's insane vitality was not to underestimated, however, and his top half –still alive- turned around to stare at me. I fit the hole of my blade over his head and beheaded him. It took about a second, and I resealed my weapon.

"Brendan?" Sakura whispered.

Orochimaru tumbled back from Sasuke whose sword was still in his guts. "What are you doing?!"

"He's been my sleeper the entire time," I rasped, "and now he's going to kill you snake."

Suiton barreled through the tunnel and leapt to stand by me. I turned to Kakashi and said, "Keep those two out of the way!"

Kakashi and Zinnia leapt up to stand next to me as Yamato followed Suiton. "That's Yamato's job."

"Wha-what's going on?!" Naruto demanded, "What the hell is a sleeper!?"

I refocused on Orochimaru, who was in the process of puking a snake, which then removed Sasuke's sword. Tabitha backed away slowly, tripping over his own feet. "Th-that sword! I-I know you!" he stuttered, "The Demon Hidden in the Sand…"

I released the Helm Splitter and pointed the axe at him. "Where's Maxie?" I hissed.

Suiton reached through our bond, mingling our chakra and she pushed to the next level, Mega-Evolving. "I've got a message for him," I pointed the hammer towards Orochimaru, "the snake is dead. Run."

Tabitha took off, running and then dissolving into the air. "You… used _that_ jutsu?" Orochimaru demanded, "I should have expected as much from the son of Norman."

"Forget him," Sasuke cracked his neck and held out his hand, forming a katana of lightning, "you should show us your true form and then we can get this over with."

The sanin crumpled, his guts beginning to spill out of him, but he was smiling. "Ah, but of course my _student_ knows my every secret."

Madness glimmered in his eyes, his head went up and backwards to fill the air with his laughter, and something moved underneath his very skin. "Here it comes," Sasuke whispered.

A swarm of snakes burst out of Orochimaru's mouth, weaving together to form a single gigantic snake, with Orochimaru's eyes. Sasuke shrugged his yukata off his shoulders and his curse mark's first form spread halfway across his back. "I guess we're not holding back, eh?" Kakashi said, and lifted his headband to reveal his sharingan.

Orochimaru charged at us, and we scattered out of the way. As he passed several of what I thought were scales revealed themselves to be individual snakes camouflaged by Orochimaru's body by lunging at me. Suiton shot an Ice Beam at the attackers, which froze them in place.

I drove the axe of helm splitter into the frozen snakes, and then hammered it home deep into Orchimaru's side. The sanin's head swiveled around to glare at me, "You! Who are you!?"

Sasuke flickered into sight between us and slashed in a wide, horizontal arc with his lightning sword, which Orochimaru ducked under, but then Sasuke drove his jutsu into Orochimaru by my Helm Splitter and then twisted his arm.

Orochimaru's main head screamed and six lightning swords burst out from Orochimaru's insides going in random directions. "And you said I couldn't be heartless," Sasuke chuckled, "I think you've taught me more than enough Orochimaru."

Sasuke dispelled his jutsu and leapt up onto Orochimaru's body to look him directly in the eye, "I just want you to know that after this… I'm going to take all your twisted science and experimentation and burn it to the ground. For all your talk of immortality, you've amounted to nothing."

Orochimaru chuckled, and his chakra pulsed out in all directions. Sasuke went very still and Zinnia shouted, "No!"

She jumped up next to Sasuke and shook him, so Kakashi and I joined her. "What is it?" I demanded.

"They're locked in an extremely powerful genjutsu battle," Kakashi answered, "I've never seen this color pattern before. It's gross. Wrong."

Zinnia swore and held out her hand to me, "I need a chakra boost to get in there. Gimmie."

Suiton and I touched her hand and fed her about half of our chakra reserve. She pulsed chakra just like Orochimaru had, and went still too. A sickening chakra began to permeate the area and Suiton started shaking. "Oh fuck," I swore, "not now."

I leapt over to the crater to find Naruto's eyes red, and his nails turning into claws. "What's going on here!?" he demanded.

"Sasuke and Orochimaru are fighting it out on a psychic plane," I answered, showing my palms in a placating gesture.

Naruto snarled, "Brendan? Why didn't you tell us it was you?"

"I'm not Brendan right now," I recalled Suiton to her scroll so her panic wouldn't set my teeth to chattering, "I'm the Demon Hidden in the Sand, Gaara's ANBU commander. There's a difference."

Chakra pulsed again and Orochimaru slumped over, his chakra vanishing rapidly. Yamato sighed, "And it looks like the good guys won. That's good. Naruto, you need to calm down or I will calm you down."

Sasuke and Zinnia jumped down to stand by us and Sasuke sheathed his sword, "So everything went according to plan. How's Itachi?"

Kakashi leapt down after them with angry eyes and shouted, "Will someone please explain what the hell is going on here?"

Naruto pointed at me, "That! Do that!"

Sasuke pulled his yukata over his shoulders and said, "I've been a sleeper in Orochimaru's organization for the past two and a half years. Now that he's dead we can begin the important work of dismantling the Village Hidden in the Sound."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Naruto cried.

"There's a lot you don't know, Naruto," Zinnia chastised, "Itachi is undercover too. Both of the Uchiha brothers are working for the village still."

"Itachi is a war criminal," Kakashi swiped his hand through the air.

"Well yeah, he's undercover in Akatsuki. He passes us intelligence," I supplied, "He's not a bad guy."

Naruto's whiskers began to get thicker and his canines elongated, "What does that have to do anything? He killed the entire Uchiha clan and I was talking about Sasuke!"

Sakura put a hand on Naruto, and he took a deep breath, calming. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked.

"What kind of question is that?" I laughed, "He was _undercover_."

Sasuke grunted, "This is a waste of time. The hokage can fill them in. We've got work to do Brendan," he nodded to Zinnia, "Let's go."

Naruto got in my face, breathing uneven again. "Look me in the eyes and explain this Brendan!"

I transformed my mask back into my beanie and glared right into his possessed eyes. "Why did you think Jiraiya had you train with me while I was in Kalos? Itachi let us know that Akatsuki was going to target you, so we had you drop off the face of the Elemental Nations."

I put a finger on Naruto's chest and pushed him back, "Itachi is on our side. You can thank him for your every breath. Sasuke wanted to prove to his brother that he could be just as valuable."

"You're talking around the issue, Brendan," Sakura spat, cracking her knuckles, "What aren't you telling us?"

I bit my lip for a moment and Naruto took the chance to scream, "You didn't even finish training with me! You took off."

"A guy named Danzo was a village elder who ran ANBU. He manipulated the Uchiha into attempting a coup d'état. He forced Itachi to choose between his clan and his village. My father took over the ANBU, had his people follow you to Kalos and tried to have me assassinated after you blew up the tower of mastery."

Naruto's eyes widened so I got in his face. "So yeah. I made Sasuke a sleeper after he kicked the shit out of you, I left the village, and I'm working with Itachi. You want to know why?! Is it that hard to understand?! REALLY?!"

I grabbed his jacket and shoved him away. "You promised Sakura that you would bring Sasuke back, right? Well I made a promise to. A promise to every one of my friends: I won't fail any of you like I failed May, Naruto. I won't allow _one_ more of my friends to die. There's no price I won't pay. No lines I won't cross."

"He doesn't understand. He can't," Sasuke tapped my shoulder, "Let's go. We've got important things to do."

"So… you're on our side, but you're leaving us behind again?" Sakura asked.

I transformed my beanie back into a mask and rasped, "Catch up. Or don't. I'll protect you either way."

As Sasuke, Zinnia and I ran away, I heard the sound of a fist meeting stone and Naruto screamed in frustration.


End file.
